


Pokemon: King's Shield and Sacred Sword

by gauge_transform



Series: Pokemon: King's Shield and Sacred Sword [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Violence, Canon Rewrite, CheeryFairyShipping, Eventual Fluff, F/F, Friendship, Hop and Gloria are bros, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Rose is actually evil, Slow Burn, aquaheartshipping, gothgfshipping, protect Hop at all costs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:47:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 106,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23957887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gauge_transform/pseuds/gauge_transform
Summary: Gloria didn't know it when she picked Sobble, but she had set forth a series of events that would shape the destiny of the Galar region for decades to come.A rewrite of Sword & Shield with more character interactions, story development and world building. Check the work for further notes. All main characters aged 18+F/F - Marnie/Gloria (major), Nessa/Sonia (minor)M/M - Bede/Hop (minor)Rated M for later chapters. No explicit scenes, but links to companion smut pieces are posted inside (for research purposes).
Relationships: Beet | Bede & Hop, Beet | Bede/Hop, Mary | Marnie & Yuuri | Gloria, Mary | Marnie/Yuuri | Gloria, Rurina | Nessa & Sonia, Rurina | Nessa/Sonia
Series: Pokemon: King's Shield and Sacred Sword [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1745332
Comments: 120
Kudos: 241





	1. A New Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> One of the most upsetting parts of playing Sword & Shield was the fact that you, the main character, were told to not worry about any of the weird things happening in the region. Furthermore, you were not given any options to investigate and there was almost no build up to the true main villains' motives! Energy crisis in 1,000 years? Really? 
> 
> There was so much potential to explore in terms of character interactions, relationships, betrayals, etc. 
> 
> Overall, I was not too happy with the development and conclusion of the main story. This is a complete rewrite of the events in Sword & Shield, staying true to the original but also adding some twists along the way. This work is also meant to set up a sequel taking place in the future of the same universe. If I find the DLC interesting enough they may also get adapted into this universe.
> 
> It is not primarily a romance story, but there are romance scenes (mostly Marnie/Gloria). And because I am a huge Pokemon fan, there are detailed battle scenes. These scenes follow the Pokemon Adventures manga logic, which are a lot darker in tone. Rose is set up to be a bit more sinister than in the games and Hop's insecurities with respect to Leon are fleshed out a bit more. All characters are aged up to at least 18 (except for Allister), though my impression was that they looked to be about 15-16 years of age in the game. The distances in the game are also bumped up a lot (e.g.: it takes 2 hours to travel between towns on foot, as opposed to 5 minutes). This is to keep the pacing a little more realistic.
> 
> Since Gloria is essentially a blank slate in the games, I've taken some liberties with her personality based on other authors' interpretations and online memes. She's snarky and loud, but also very soft and caring. Brave but foolish and definitely too optimistic for her own good. This helps contrast her with Marnie as well as Bede and amplifies Hop's energetic personality.
> 
> Finally, this story is completely written and edited. However, I am spacing out updates in case I get any crucial feedback about plot holes or inconsistencies, so if you see anything weird, please let me know! I tried to make it as airtight as possible, but mistakes inevitably slip through.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

“Welcome, one and all! Welcome to the wonderful world of Pokemon!”

Gloria sat on the couch in her living room, tucked against the arm with her knees up as she watched the man in the grey suit address the crowd from the Wyndon stadium. He let out a Cufant and gestured enthusiastically with his hands.

“My name is Rose, and it’s a pleasure to be here. It’s time for Champion Leon’s exhibition match!”

Suddenly, small explosions erupted from the centre of the pitch and out came the Champion of Galar with his trusty Charizard. Gloria smiled upon seeing Leon, recognizing her best mate’s older brother as he struck his signature Charizard pose. The crowd erupted in cheers as they followed suit. Opposite him, another trainer standing next to his Duraludon pointed at Leon. Gloria recognized him as the Hammerlocke gym leader, Raihan.

“Exhibition or not, Leon, your pristine record is about to end!” he shouted.

Leon flicked his cape back and made a fist. “You know I don’t lose battles, Raihan!” he returned, Charizard roaring and letting out a flamethrower in the air.

The two trainers commanded their Pokemon to Dynamax and the battle began. Gloria watched, enraptured by the battle, until she heard a rapid knocking at the door. Startled, she locked her phone and looked up to see Hop in her living room, his Wooloo closely rolling behind him.

“Why do you bother knocking if you’re just gonna let yourself in, Hop?” Gloria sighed.

Hop put his hands behind his head and grinned. “Is that you how you treat your best mate?” He flicked his eyes downward. “Oh is that your new phone? Nice to see you got it replaced after you—”

“Shut up, Hop!” Gloria interrupted, burning bright red. A Wooloo stampede was not the most epic way to lose a phone. She cleared her throat. “I was watching Leon’s match before you broke into my house.”

Hop rolled his eyes and plopped down on the couch beside her. “Lee’s coming home, remember? You can ask him all about it when we see him! Plus I record all his matches, so we can watch it later.”

Gloria’s mum popped her head into the living room. “Hop! So nice to see you. Today’s the big day isn’t it?”

Hop sprang to his feet in excitement. “Sure is! Let’s go Gloria! Maybe Lee brought us presents. I’ll meet you at my house.” He exited as suddenly as he came in. Gloria sighed and her mum smiled.

“Dear, don’t forget your bag in your room! Take care and have fun, I love you.”

Gloria hugged her mother and grabbed her bag and beret before stepping outside. To no surprise, she saw Hop waiting for her at the end of her driveway.

“Oi, you really couldn’t wait for me, huh,” Gloria teased. Hop put his hands on his hips and grinned.

“I had to make sure you didn’t get lost on your way to my place!”

Gloria shoved him good naturedly and bent down to pet Wooloo, who happily bumped his head into her hand. They turned to leave but saw another Wooloo attempting to break open the gate leading to the Slumbering Weald. Hop scolded the Wooloo but it ignored him and kept rolling towards the gate.

“Meeeh?” it cried.

Gloria snickered as Hop groaned. “Well, not much we can do about that. C’mon Gloria, I’ll race ya to my house! Bet you can’t beat me with that old bag of yours.” He sprinted off with his Pokemon before she could say a word, so she took off after him, leaving the Wooloo behind.

She waved hi to her neighbours as she made it to Hop’s house. She greeted his mum as Hop came running down the stairs. “Mum! Where is he?” Hop asked.

“Honey, for the hundredth time, he’s not here! You need to be patient. He’s probably arriving at Wedgehurst station right now,” she answered in exasperation.

“Then that’s where we’re going! You know Lee is hopeless with directions. C’mon Gloria, I’ll meet ya out on the route!” Hop exclaimed, immediately sprinting out the door.

Hop’s mum shook her head fondly and waved goodbye as Gloria left. Gloria accompanied Hop to the station.

“You’ve never met my brother, right?” Hop asked.

“No, just seen him on the telly. He seems like a busy guy.” Gloria pondered on the duties of the Champion as Hop nodded.

“Yea, I see him maybe once a month. He has to travel a lot and keep training his team so that he stays on top. It’s a busy job!” Hop spoke with clear admiration in his voice. Gloria could instantly recognize the love and respect Hop had for his older brother. She grinned and started running.

“Betcha I can get there first!”

Hop laughed and ran to join her as they reached a crowd in front of the Wedgehurst train station. They pushed through to the front but off to the side as Leon exited the station with his Charizard and put on a wide grin. He went into his signature pose, the children screaming in excitement.

“It’s our unbeatable Champion!” someone exclaimed from the back.

“Hello Wedgehurst! Your Champion is back!” Leon yelled. He calmed a bit and crossed his arms, surveying the crowd. “I hope you all have been training hard to come and take me on. My wish is for Galar’s trainers to work together to become the strongest in all the world!”

“Lee!” Hop tried getting his brother’s attention, which worked as Leon noticed and approached them.

“Hop! So, my number-one fan in all the world has come to pick me up. You’re so big now Hop! I reckon you’ve grown about an inch and a quarter since I last saw you.”

Gloria blinked. _That’s oddly specific…_

Hope waved his arms around. “Bingo! That’s the sort of sharp eye that’s kept you undefeated so long, eh, Lee?”

Gloria blinked again. _What?_

Suddenly, Leon turned to her. She swallowed nervously as he approached her. “You must be Gloria, right? Hop’s told me all about you! Nice to meetcha, people call me the unbeatable Leon.”

Gloria could sense his and Charizard’s strength, even with the little experience she had as a Pokemon trainer. She knew she had a long way to go before she ever reached his level. Before she could say anything, Hop yelled something about a race and beating Leon and Gloria, running back to Postwick. Leon shook his head fondly, not unlike his mother.

“That Hop, always wanting to win…” He turned to Gloria. “With a proper rival of his own, I bet he’d push himself to become something truly special.”

Gloria watched as he turned to the crowd and struck his pose again.

“Farewell for now, but don’t fret! I’ll always be around to give you all a Champion time!”

The crowd cheered as he bid them farewell. He turned and ran off home, Gloria and Charizard following close behind. They entered the house and Hop’s mother came and immediately swept Leon in a hug.

“My baby’s home!”

“Aw, mum…” Leon grinned. “So, what’s for lunch?”

-x-

Outside, in the afternoon sun, Leon stood in front of Hop and Gloria beside their makeshift battle terrain. Hop bounced on his feet in excitement.

“Lee! You brought Gloria and me Pokemon, right? I know you did!”

Leon put his hands on his hips. “Right then! The greatest gifts from the greatest Champion! Take a good look you two!” Leon tossed three pokeballs and out came three Pokemon. The Scorbunny ran around the terrain, leaving a small trail of flames. The Grookey went up the tree and the Sobble jumped into the pond. Gloria’s eyes shone in amazement and she looked over at Hop, who nearly had tears in his eyes.

She turned back to the Pokemon just in time to see Sobble squirt water at Scorbunny, who squealed in surprise and bounced out to the tree. The impact shocked Grookey, who knocked over the sitrus berry he was playing with into the pond. This in turn scared Sobble, who leapt out of the pond in tears that tugged at Gloria’s heart. Grookey descended from the tree to cheer up Sobble and Scorbunny joined them as Leon ordered them to line up.

Hop offered the first choice to Gloria since he already had his Wooloo.

“Thanks.” Gloria quietly approached the Sobble and bent down to look him in the eye. He stared at her face for a bit and blinked and she smiled.

“That’s Sobble, a Water-type Pokemon,” Leon explained. “It adapts to anything, as surely as water flows. Is that your final choice?”

Gloria stood up and nodded. “I think we’re gonna be great friends.” She put her hands out and Sobble leapt into her arms as she cradled him.

Hop grinned and immediately ran for Scorbunny, matching his energy exactly. “Scorbunny, you’re mine!” He picked him up in his hands held him in the air. “I’m aiming to be the next Champion, so be ready! You, Wooloo and I’ll be doing some serious training!” Wooloo approached Scorbunny to welcome it.

The Grookey looked around sadly. Leon approached the Grookey and patted its head. “Guess you’re coming with me, little buddy. Charizard will show you the ropes!” Charizard roared in response, Grookey tilting its head to the side.

Hop and Gloria ran out to the fields to play with their Pokemon for a couple hours and when they returned to the house Gloria’s mum was there.

“You two finally done out there?” Gloria’s mum asked, a teasing smile on her lips.

“We are starving,” Gloria groaned, sinking heavily into a chair. Sobble jumped onto her lap and squeaked in her mum’s direction. Hop’s mum entered the kitchen and clapped her hands. “Let’s go outside! Leon should have the grill ready for the barbecue!”

Gloria and Hop raced outside to see Charizard blowing fire onto the coal and Leon directing it to not scorch the food. His mother took over when she went outside, Gloria’s mum beside her as Hop hovered over them excitedly, his Scorbunny sitting atop his head. Gloria sat on the terrain with Sobble and Leon joined her. He turned to her and smiled.

“What are you planning on doing now that you have your Pokemon?”

Gloria shrugged. “Not sure! I’d love to learn more about Pokemon and get some experience, travel with Hop around the region.”

“You should be sure to stop by Professor Magnolia’s lab in Wedgehurst,” Leon said. “She has a lot of advice and insight on Pokemon. Plus, she might get you to download the Pokedex app to use on your journey.”

Gloria frowned. “Pokedex?”

“Like a Pokemon encyclopedia,” Leon explained. “Very helpful! And who knows, you might be able to complete the Galar dex for her! I’m sure she’d appreciate that.” He was silent for a moment, watching Hop. He dropped his voice so only Gloria could hear. “Please take care of him.”

“Huh?”

“Hop. Please look out for him. He’s a tough kid, but sometimes I feel like he’s too hard on himself, especially when he compares himself to me. I wish he didn’t do that, but it seems like it’s hard not to for him.” Leon sighed. “Just promise me to be there for him, for me.”

Gloria’s eyes softened and she nodded. “I got his back.”

Hop ran over to them excitedly, Scorbunny hot on his heels, waving his kebabs around as everyone laughed. Gloria clutched Sobble tighter to her and smiled.

-x-

Morning came and Gloria woke up in a hurry to meet Hop at his house. She left without looking back, missing the open gate and lack of Wooloo. She saw Leon and Hop standing in front of the terrain and approached them with Sobble beside her.

Leon put his hands on his hips. “I hope you two have started developing a bond with your Pokemon. Truly, that is the most important thing a trainer can do with their partners. The stronger the bond, the stronger you become.”

“Of course we have Lee!”

Leon grinned. “Listen up, trainers! Believe in yourself and your Pokemon. That trust will get you far… maybe even far enough to take me on… maybe even enough to beat me!” Leon turned to look at Gloria and Hop pouted.

“What’re you looking at her for, Lee?! I’ll be the one to challenge you!” He turned to Gloria. “If you plan on taking him on too, then that makes you my rival!”

Leon crossed his arms. “That settles it! Let’s commemorate this with a battle.”

Hop and Gloria arranged themselves on the battle terrain. “You better watch out, Gloria!”

Gloria grinned. “I’ll say the same to you, Hop!”

Hop rolled his shoulder back and sent out Wooloo. Gloria let out Sobble. Luckily, she had studied his moveset the night before, so she knew what to call out.

“Sobble, use Growl!”

Immediately, Wooloo was intimidated and his attack was reduced. Hop called out a Tackle attack from Wooloo, but Sobble dodged with ease. She then commanded Sobble to use Pound, which did enough damage to warrant a wince from Hop. Hop returned with another Tackle, which did little damage, and Sobble was able to finish off Wooloo with another Pound.

Hop returned Wooloo to his ball and let out Scorbunny. Immediately, Gloria commanded a Water Gun attack which landed on Scorbunny. Hop winced again.

“Did you already know about type advantages?!” he cried out.

Gloria laughed. “Of course I do! I watch the same matches as you!”

Hope frowned in determination and ordered a Tackle attack on Sobble, which landed. Sobble whimpered in pain but Gloria encouraged him to keep going.

“You got this, Sobble! One more Water Gun!” she yelled. Scorbunny tried to dodge but it was too late as the attack made contact and he was knocked out. Gloria leapt in celebration and twirled her Sobble around. Hop sighed and palmed his forehead in defeat.

Leon laughed exuberantly. “You and your Pokemon fought hard. Made me want to let out Charizard to join you! Good effort, you two.”

“Lee, c’mon let us start our Gym challenge already!” Hop whined.

“You? Right now, you think you can take on the single most difficult challenge in all of Galar?” Leon asked, chuckling a bit.

Hop nodded. “Yes!” he exclaimed. Gloria blinked in confusion

Leon put his hands on his hips. “Well, there’s still a lot for you two to learn. You should pick up a Pokedex from Professor Magnolia. I’ll let her know to expect you.”

Hop put his hands behind his hand. “That’s nothin’! Just another page in the tale of my legend.” He turned to Gloria. “Oi Gloria, you’d probably better go tell your mum that we’re heading out. Don’t want her getting worried sick!”

“Why don’t you come with? She’d probably want to see you off too.”

Hop joined Gloria as they waved to Leon on their way to Gloria’s house. Once they reached her driveway, Gloria gasped.

The gate was broken.


	2. The Slumbering Weald

“How did I not see this in the morning?!” Gloria exclaimed. They examined the broken pieces of the gate, as well as the white tufts of fur wedged onto some pieces.

Hop frowned. “That Wooloo is gone. You think it broke through?” He turned to her and she shrugged. “We should go save it!”

“Isn’t the Slumbering Weald off-limits?” Gloria asked.

“Yeah, but I remember the professor’s granddaughter, Sonia, went in once. She came back in a tizzy… not to mention, she got scolded big time by the professor.”

Gloria exhaled slowly and closed her eyes. “We have to go make sure that Wooloo is okay!”

Hop nodded in agreement. “Right? Even if everyone says it’s dangerous, we still have to try!” They both ran into the forest, Scorbunny and Sobble following closely behind. The forest looked as mystical as its name, with a light airy breeze and a thick fog surrounding the area. They stayed close to each other as they quietly waded through the tall grass. A couple wild Pokemon came out, disturbed by their presence, but Sobble and Scorbunny quickly fended them off.

Hop and Gloria crossed over a bridge. Sobble began to shiver in fear and Scorbunny whimpered as it tugged on Hop’s pants. Gloria scooped up her Pokemon and Hop put Scorbunny on his shoulder. They kept walking then heard what sounded like a Pokemon’s wail.

Hop turned to Gloria. “You hear that? It sounds like a Pokemon.”

Gloria swallowed nervously. _It sounded like something spooky._

They kept walking, their courage dimming as the fog thickened and the cries came out louder. Hop ran forward further into the fog, Gloria no longer able to see him or anything in front of her.

“Hop! Where did you go?” she yelled. She clutched Sobble tighter as she ran into a foggy clearing.

Suddenly, the entire forest quieted as she bumped into Hop.

“You scared me!” he shouted.

“Well, don’t run off into the forest on your own, dumbass!” she replied angrily. They stood back to back as they looked around. They heard footsteps and a shiver went up Gloria’s spine as she _felt_ a shadow loom over her. Both her and Hop turned around to see a dark silhouette of what appeared to be a wolf Pokemon with a tuft of fur bunched over its head. Hop jumped in surprise, Scorbunny and Sobble rushing out in front of them to protect them. The mystery Pokemon howled and lowered its head.

Gloria immediately ordered Sobble to attack, but it had no effect. In fact, it appeared to pass right through the Pokemon, which had its gaze fixed on Gloria and her alone.

“What? Your move didn’t even touch it!” Hop stuttered. Gloria grit her teeth and ordered another Water Gun, which still did nothing. The Pokemon howled again, its eyes glowing white, and a thick white fog rolled into the clearing. Hop clutched Gloria’s sleeve as she squinted to try and get a better look at the opponent, but she could not see. She commanded Sobble to let out another Water Gun, which led to more fog appearing.

The last thing she heard was Hop’s cry as everything faded to white.

-x-

Gloria slowly opened her eyes as she felt a wet appendage on her cheek. In front of her, Sobble was trying to shake her awake. She smiled and sat up, looking over and seeing Scorbunny and Wooloo doing the same with Hop. She patted his head and looked around, the mystery Pokemon nowhere to be found.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked Hop. Hop, still shaken, nodded and turned to the sound of footsteps. Once they noticed it was Leon, they immediately stood and rushed to meet him.

“Hop! Gloria! Are you two okay?” Leon yelled.

“Lee! How’d you manage to find your way here? You always get lost.”

Leon frowned and put his hands on his hips. “Oh, nice to hear from my own little brother who had me worried sick! You two have been missing for hours. Of course I came to look for you!”

Hop looked around. “Wait! We came looking for a Wooloo, where is it?”

Leon grinned and pointed behind him, where Charizard was sitting next a Wooloo. It fixed Leon with an unimpressed glare as it performed its Wooloo-sitting duties.

“No worries, Hop. He’s fine. But you should know better than to come in here…” Hop fidgeted awkwardly as Gloria turned her gaze downward. “But you did great in saving this little guy! That took a lot of courage, I’m very proud!”

Gloria and Hop smiled as they exchanged a glance. “At least that Wooloo is alright! Right Gloria?”

Gloria nodded. “Honestly, I thought we were done for when that weird Pokemon came in with the fog.”

Leon tilted his head and frowned. “Weird Pokemon? What do you mean?”

“It just attacked us, but we couldn’t do anything to it,” Hop explained, gesturing with his hands. “Sobble’s moves passed right through it!”

Leon put his hand to his chin in thought. “Hmm… a fearsome Pokemon in the Slumbering Weald. Are they illusions or something real? Maybe you two could solve this mystery once you get stronger!”

Hop grinned. “Hell yeah! Gloria, this is just the first page in the tale of my legend. And what a start it is!”

Gloria chuckled and shook her head. “So are we ever gonna get off the first page?”

They all laughed and made their way out the forest. Hop reminded Gloria to let her mum know she was leaving.

“She’ll go spare if you leave without telling her – just like Leon did!”

Gloria bid the brothers goodbye as she went up the driveway to her home. She turned her gaze to the forest, feeling a call on her soul. All she could think about was that mysterious Pokemon’s gaze and how it seemed to penetrate directly into her very being, like it was searching for something. What could it possibly mean?


	3. Professor Magnolia

Gloria hugged her mum and kissed her on the cheek as she fawned over Sobble, asking him to watch over her daughter. Sobble squeaked in response as Gloria picked him up. She promised to call her mum whenever possible and waved goodbye as she left, immediately seeing Hop waiting for her further down the route. She rushed to meet him and he bumped shoulders with her as she caught up.

“So…” Gloria started. “What’s this about a Gym challenge? And we’re off to see the professor, right?”

“Yep, Professor Magnolia! She’ll give us a Pokedex to use on our journey. And the gym challenge is the most important event in all of Galar! It’s like a rite of passage for us trainers. You collect eight gym badges across Galar for a chance to battle Leon and become the Champion. Leon did it when he was ten, but that was a decade ago and things are different now,” Hop explained.

“Huh… So how does one enter the Gym challenge?”

“You have to be endorsed by a strong trainer. Lucky for us, my brother happens to be the strongest of them all! I’ll get him to endorse both of us, if you want to try the challenge.”

Gloria grinned. “Sounds like fun! All I want is to grow and experience the world with Pokemon.”

Hop grinned back and pointed at an impressive looking building with a purple roof. “There’s the lab! Let’s go!”

They reached Wedgehurst and immediately made their way toward the Pokemon Lab, marveling at the architecture. Outside the lab stood Leon, who immediately congratulated them on making it to the lab.

“As Hop has already mentioned, I’m pants with directions. It’s why I’m so glad to have Charizard to keep me from getting lost!”

Hop and Gloria laughed as they approached him. They entered the lab and gazed around in awe. There were two levels, the first being filled with strange beeping contraptions and desks, the second lined entirely with shelves and shelves of tomes, each one thicker than the next. As they went further in the room, they were greeted by the quiet barks of a Yamper that wagged its tail upon seeing Leon. Leon knelt forward to pet it when a smooth female voice sounded from above.

“What is it now Leon?” she sighed. “More information on a super strong Pokemon? I wish you’d stop with these outlandish requests…”

The woman had her orange hair styled in a side ponytail with reading glasses perched atop. She descended the stairs gracefully and approached them, twirling her finger around her hair. Leon pretended to ignore her and addressed Yamper.

“Good to see you too, Yamper!” he cooed. He turned to Gloria and his brother. “Yamper here is a real champ when it comes to helping you find your way around. He came to my rescue all the time when I got lost, back in the day.” Leon paused in thought. “Oh yeah! That’s his trainer, Sonia.”

The woman rolled her eyes and smiled, shaking her head.

Leon tried to hide his grin. “What can I say about Sonia? Well, her cooking is great! Her food is so good it makes you want to gobble it down real fast!”

Sonia made a noise of protest and stomped her foot. “Leon! What kind of an introduction is that? Did you forget we were rivals during our gym challenge?”

Hop blinked owlishly. “Wait, what? Really? Lee, I didn’t know you had a rival back then!”

Leon paled as Sonia stomped towards him. “W-well…”

Instead, she moved past him and stood in front of Hop and Gloria. “Anyway! Nice to meet you. Name’s Sonia, I’m Professor Magnolia’s assistant.” She turned to Hop. “You must be Hop, Leon’s brother.” She turned to Gloria and smiled.

“My name is Gloria, I’m Hop’s next-door neighbour,” Gloria said, smiling back.

Leon stepped back. “They’re new Pokemon trainers. Set them on the right path, will you?”

Yamper barked and left the lab, Leon following him. Sonia sighed. “What does he think I am? He’s always got his head in the clouds.” She straightened and looked at the duo. “You two have Rotom phones, right?” They nodded. “I’ll download the Pokedex to the phone so that you can refer to it. It is a gift from my gran, so be sure to let her know you’re using it! She lives in the house down along Route 2.”

Hop put his thumb up. “You got it! We’ll let her know straight away!”

Just then, Yamper came back inside and nuzzled Sonia’s ankles, barking for attention. Hop and Gloria waved goodbye as they left the lab. They explored Wedgehurst, grabbing some berries for a snack from the local market. They entered the local boutique and tried on different clothes, laughing at their silly outfits. Eventually, they decided to visit the Pokemon centre and sit for some tea. Sobble, Scorbunny and Wooloo played around their feet.

“You excited to meet Professor Magnolia?” Gloria asked Hop, sipping her tea.

“Sure am! Her research is on the Dynamax phenomenon, at least that’s what I heard on the telly. She is really well known across the globe.”

“That’s super cool. It’s awesome to know that there’s more than one path to be close to Pokemon,” Gloria mused.

“Yeah…” Hop agreed, putting his chin in the palm of his hand in thought.

Gloria checked her phone. “We ought to get going if we wanna beat the sun.”

Hop grinned. “You’re a great rival, Gloria! Let’s go!”

They head down the path toward Route 2, descending the stairs and crossing the bridge. They were intercepted by Leon, who showed them how to catch a Pokemon with a pokeball. He took off in a hurry down Route 2, telling them to catch plenty of Pokemon.

“All right! I’m gonna catch so many Pokemon, the Professor will be shocked when she sees!” Hop declared.

They headed into the tall grass, battling Pokemon and trainers alike, until they both encountered a pair of bickering Rookidee. Hop stuck his tongue out as he slowly approached the pair but accidentally steped on a twig, alerting them to their presence. The Rookidee immediately turned their attention to them and attack. Gloria sent out Sobble and attempted to weaken one of the Rookidee, but they seemed to be protecting each other. Hop joined in and attacked the other one, both of them weakening each one to the point where it was worth attempting to catch. They launched their pokeballs simultaneously and managed to capture their Rookidee.

“We did it!” Hop yelled out, jumping in celebration. Gloria grinned and sent out her newest member to interact with Sobble. Rookidee flapped her wings as she was let out and came face to face with her brother as Hop lets out his teammate too. They pecked at each other playfully and Hop made an ‘O’ shape with his mouth.

“Oh, they’re siblings! That’s why they were together. And looks like they’re super competitive too.” Hop turned to her with a smirk. “I definitely have the stronger one.”

Gloria scoffed. “Uh, no, you don’t. My Rookidee is way stronger than yours, you’ll see.” Gloria put her hand out to her Rookidee and she jumped onto her wrist, pecking lightly at her arm. Gloria pat her down and introduced her to Sobble. “You two will be great friends.”

Scorbunny, Wooloo and Rookidee took to each other very quickly and became fast playmates. Hop grinned widely. “Alright, we can have fun later! Let’s keep going.”

They called back all their Pokemon and continued down Route 2 to Professor Magnolia’s home. To the left of her large, purple-roofed home was a gorgeous lake that shrunk to a stream past Route 2 and towards Wedgehurst. There was also a full-sized battle terrain and a small bridge between Route 2 and her house. Leon was already chatting with her by the time they arrived, overhearing the end of their conversation.

“So have you unraveled all the secrets of the Dynamax phenomenon yet?” Leon asked.

“Oh goodness, no,” the Professor chuckled. “The whole thing is still chock full of questions. I’d hoped that my granddaughter would take over my research but…” She stopped, noticing Hop and Gloria. “Oh dear me, I didn’t even notice I had guests!” She approached them slowly, leaning on her cane. She twirled the strap of her glasses around her finger as she addressed them. Gloria was instantly reminded of Sonia as she did this. “My name is Magnolia. Welcome young trainers!”

She led them inside her home and they sat around her dining room table. She turned to Hop and smiled warmly. “Why Hop! I see Wooloo has made some new friends.” Hop smiled wide, Rookidee chirping on his shoulder. She turned to Gloria, giving her the same smile. “And you must be Gloria! I trust you both received the Pokedex from Sonia. I’m sure you’ll complete it in no time.”

“You bet!” Gloria answered.

“You must already know about Dynamaxing, right Gloria?” At Gloria’s nod, Leon continued. “Professor Magnolia has been researching it for years. To properly understand how to use it, you gotta learn all you can about it!” he said, leaning forward in his chair.

Magnolia sighed fondly. “There you go again, Leon, talking about Pokemon. There’s more to life than that! Like how many kinds of tea there are…”

Hop leaned back with his arms behind his head. “Hey, Professor, do us a favour would you? Please help us convince Leon to endorse us for the gym challenge!”

Magnolia’s eyes twinkled as she turned to Leon and pouted slightly. “Oh Leon, why wouldn’t you endorse them?”

Leon began to stutter. “P-professor, Hop and Gloria only just started out as Pokemon trainers… There’s still so much they don’t know!”

She began to twirl the strap on her glasses. “Dearie, I thought you said your dream was for everyone in Galar to be strong trainers, right?”

Leon sighed. “Well, yea… you’re not wrong.” He crossed his arms. “That’s why I gave them Pokemon…”

He turned to find Hop in his excited pose, crouched and shaking his fists, and nearly burst out laughing. Gloria glanced at Hop in confusion and stepped away from him. “Right, then…” he coughed, hiding his grin behind his fist. “Let’s see if you two can show me such a brilliant battle that I’m left with no choice but to endorse you!”

“Aw yea!” Hop and Gloria yelled, pumping their fists. They rushed outside to line up on the terrain and readied themselves for battle. Magnolia and Leon sat on a nearby bench to watch. Hop pointed at Gloria with one hand, the other one holding a pokeball.

“Come at me with everything you got so we can prove to Lee that we’ve got what it takes!” he yelled.

Gloria pointed at him too. “Right back atcha, mate!”

Hop rolled his shoulder and sent out his Wooloo. Gloria sent out her Sobble; it had learned Bind and Water Pulse since their last battle. “Sobble, use Water Pulse!” Gloria’s Sobble outsped Hop’s Wooloo and landed the hit, getting lucky enough to also confuse it. Hop stumbled back in surprise but commanded Wooloo to use Tackle, which he pulled off. Sobble took the hit and quickly got up, readying another Water Pulse that landed and knocked Wooloo close to fainting. Hop tried to get Wooloo to use Tackle again but he knocked himself out in his confusion. Hop returned him to his ball and sent out Scorbunny.

“Let’s go, Scorbunny! Use Double Kick!” Scorbunny outsped Sobble and landed two hits on Gloria’s Pokemon, bringing him to low health. With Torrent active, Gloria commanded a Water Pulse that quickly wiped out Scorbunny, Hop cringing as though in pain. Gloria praised Sobble, who quickly fell to the ground in exhaustion. Both trainers let out Rookidee to fight, the birds sizing each other up. Hop launched a Peck but Gloria commanded a Hone Claws move instead, taking the hit. Hop launched another Peck attack.

“Stand firm, Rookidee! Hone Claws!” Gloria yelled. Rookidee obeyed and beefed up her attack, now at half health. Hop grinned, seeing victory and launched a Fury Attack. Gloria’s Rookidee dodged at the last second.

“Now, Power Trip!” The attack was extremely effective due to the build up, immediately knocking Hop’s Rookidee out. Gloria ran to her Pokemon in joy and praised her for her performance. Hop sighed sadly in defeat but congratulated Gloria on her victory.

“Oof! Gutted that I lost… but I’d expect nothing less from my rival!” Hop said, grinning. Leon approached them with a huge smile on his face. Gloria put her hand on his shoulder.

“Hop, you were amazing. I was worried my plan wasn’t going to work!” she admitted.

“Hop! Gloria! With such an amazing battle, I see I have no choice!” He handed them letters of endorsement, which they accepted gratefully.

“Yes!” Hop cheered. “Just you wait Leon, we’re gonna be right on your doorstep to challenge you.”

Leon put his hands on his hips. “Hop, don’t fret over the little things… you’ve grown so much, keep at it, both of you!”

Hop turned to Gloria and grinned. “You and me are going to train up against each other to aim for that Champion’s title! You’re my rival and best mate, and that won’t ever change!”

Gloria put her fist out. “Absolutely!”

Suddenly, Hop jumped back in surprise. “Whoa, what’s that!” Gloria turned around and they saw two shining objects gently impact the ground. They rushed to see that they were Wishing Stars, used to Dynamax Pokemon. “Wishing Stars! Awesome. There are two here, Gloria you should take one. With these, we can Dynamax our Pokemon!”

Leon and Magnolia approached them. “Wow! Trust you to make this happen. They say Wishing Stars fall down for those who have a true wish in their hearts,” Leon said.

“I will be the greatest trainer ever!” Hop yelled at the top of his lungs. “I WILL be the greatest trainer ever! I WILL BE THE GREATEST TRAINER EVER!” Gloria laughed and shoved him aside.

“Not if I can help it!”

Hop chuckled. “I said my wish three times, surely it will come true now, right?”

Professor Magnolia sighed. “Don’t be silly Hop, those Wishing Stars as is won’t do anything for you. Give them to me and I’ll get them sorted.”

“First the Slumbering Weald, now this… Oi, Gloria, we’re really in an adventure of a lifetime!”

Magnolia giggled behind her hand. “Calm down and save your excitement for tomorrow, Hop.” At the sound of footsteps behind her, she turned around and smiled. “Ah! Sonia, good to see you dear.”

Sonia hugged her gran and stood next to her. “Seems I came back home right on time! Hey, you lot, stay for dinner? You must be hungry, and I’ve been dying out to try some of these trendy curries.”

“Aw yea!” Hop and Gloria exclaimed. They quickly ran back to the house, the adults sharing a smile before joining them.

-x-

Gloria and Hop quickly readied themselves in the morning and went downstairs to join Magnolia and Sonia. Leon had already left to attend to Champion business but had bid them goodbye the night before.

“It’s morning at last! Time for our adventure to truly start.”

“Good morning to you, young Challengers,” Magnolia greeted kindly. Gloria returned her greeting politely, yawning behind her hand. It was hard to get rest with all the excitement buzzing her awake at night.

Sonia twirled her hand around her hair. “Say Hop, Gloria, is it true you met some Pokemon you didn’t recognize in the Slumbering Weald? Can you tell me more about it?”

Hop put his arms behind his head and looked up in thought. “It’s kinda hard to remember, since there was so much heavy fog. Gloria tried fighting it but we ended up passing out, then Leon found us.”

“I remember my attacks not doing anything at all, almost as though they were passing right through it,” Gloria added. She kept her feelings of attachment to the Pokemon to herself, not wanting to divulge that just yet.

Sonia sighed in defeat. “A right fount of information you two are.”

Magnolia put her hand out for the two young trainers and gave them their Dynamax bands. “Gloria, Hop, these are for you.”

“Awesome…” Gloria said, examining the band around her wrist in awe. She looked up at the Professor. “Thank you!”

Hop crouched into his excited pose. “Thanks so much, Professor! Now we can Dynamax our Pokemon, just like Lee!”

Magnolia shook her head fondly. “My, you don’t waste time, do you. You’ll find it’s not so simple as all that. You must train hard to unlock and master that form to control your Pokemon. Now, don’t be afraid to go to all sorts of places and meet all sorts of Pokemon. This way you can also fill your Pokedex.”

Hop turned to Gloria. “My legend is just beginning! I’ll race ya to the station!” He ran out the door, barely squeezing out a goodbye over his shoulder. Gloria sighed and bid the women farewell before she exited and followed Hop back to Wedgehurst. They healed their Pokemon at the centre and entered the station. Hop and Gloria approached the receptionist, with Hop taking the lead. “Two tickets to Motostoke, please and thank you!”

“Motostoke?” Gloria questioned.

“Yea, that’s where the opening ceremony will be! We gotta go there to register our trainer IDs,” Hop answered.

They waited in front of the tracks and were about to board the train when they heard a voice behind them. Hop’s and Gloria’s mums were behind them with smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes.

“Not quite so fast, you two,” Hop’s Mum said.

“What’re you doing here, mum?” Hop asked.

“Professor Magnolia kindly let us know when you were setting out,” Gloria’s mum explained. “Here, a last little gift to see you well set on your way. All the kit you’ll need for camping!”

Hop rubbed his wrist across his eyes. “Aw, thanks mum!” Gloria sniffed and hugged her mum in thanks tightly.

Hop’s mum grabbed her son in a hug. “No matter what happens out there, if you and your partner are together, I know you’ll be fine.”

Hop stepped back and grinned. “Just think how lucky you are – mother to the first ever pair of Champion brothers!”

Both mums exchanged a glance and smiled. “Take care of yourselves dears. You’ll be welcome back home anytime.”

Gloria waved as she and Hop stepped back. “We’re off!” They stepped onto the train and took their seats, waving at their mums as Wedgehurst faded into the horizon.


	4. The Wild Area

Gloria and Hop sat across from each other and checked their phones as they chatted. They were a four-hour trip away from Motostoke, and it was almost noon. They had about four days between today and the kick-off.

“Once we get to Motostoke, we should explore the whole city,” Hop suggested.

Gloria flicked up a tourist website on her phone. “I hear they have these gear-shaped lift mechanisms. Looks super cool!” She scrolled a bit further. “We should stay at the Budew Drop Inn, it’s right next to the stadium.”

Hop nodded in agreement. “Sounds like a plan!” He leaned back in his seat. “Wow! I can’t believe it’s happening! We’re going on the gym challenge.”

“All thanks to your brother,” Gloria reminded, smiling.

“My brother’s the best!”

They chatted idly for the next hour and a half, when suddenly the train stopped. The passengers looked around in confusion until a voice came across the PA.

“Attention all Wedgehurst passengers. We have stopped at the Meetup Spot station near the Wild Area due to a flock of Wooloo on our tracks and what appears to be severe damage on the rails. We will not be able to proceed until we have resolved all issues, which will take an undetermined amount of time.”

The passengers erupted in complaints amidst their anger and annoyance, but quieted when the conductor spoke again.

“We will provide accommodations for everyone until we can get running again. We are also in communications with the Corviknight Taxi service to escort our most vulnerable passengers to the nearest town, however that journey will be several hours in length. We apologize deeply for the inconvenience.”

Gloria sighed in resignation. “So, what do we do? If we wait we might be here for a long time. If we go by foot, it will take at most three days to get to Motostoke through the Wild Area.”

Hop grinned. “Oh c’mon Gloria, is that even a question? Of course we’re gonna walk! How else are we gonna train our Pokemon?”

Gloria giggled. “Fair point, mate. Let’s go.” They exited the train and left the station, journeying past the Meetup Spot into the Wild Area. Gloria looked around in amazement. In the distance, she spotted the Motostoke city stairs.

“There’s Motostoke, oh so far away,” Hop sighed. He turned around in surprise. “Oh, if it isn’t Sonia!”

Gloria turned around too and saw Sonia standing in front of them, looking mildly annoyed. “My gran gave me a proper earful, in her own way…” Sonia imitated Magnolia as she repeated her words. “Those two young trainers are setting out on a journey, but what are you doing with your life?” Sonia hunched a little in defeat.

“That’s rough, buddy,” Gloria sympathized, frowning slightly.

Sonia straightened up and smiled, cocking her hip to the side. Gloria blushed slightly when her full grin was directed at her. “Ah… Never you mind that! Nothing to worry yourselves over! Besides, I’d been quite curious about that Pokemon you two met in the forest. I’ve been meaning to look into it, so this works out perfectly!” Her eyes shone with determination. “If I discover something really huge, then maybe even Gran’ll admit I’ve got talent!”

Hop put his arms behind his head. “Yikes… being an adult has got its own challenges, eh?”

Sonia twirled her hair around her hand. “You needn’t worry about it! Besides, I’m excited to be on the road again, it’s been so long. Camping, fishing, battling… it’ll be fun!”

Hop bounced in excitement. “Well, me an’ Gloria are off to Motostoke. We’re gonna camp and fish and stick our heads in as many of those red glowing dens as we can find! Wish us luck!” He grabbed Gloria’s hand and they were off, Gloria waving to Sonia behind her.

“Byeeeee!”

-x-

They trekked on the left side of the Wild Area, Scorbunny and Sobble outside their balls. They crept slowly around and through the tall grass, battling wild Pokemon as they appeared. They approached a Berry tree and Hop began to shake it vigorously.

“Uh, Hop… I don’t think that’s such a great idea…” Gloria muttered, before a wild Skwovet came flying at them from the tree.

“GAH!” Hop exclaimed as it landed on his face. He swiped at it just as Scorbunny launched an Ember to knock it off. Hop’s hair was singed slightly as it scurried away. When Gloria turned back to the tree, all the berries had disappeared. She sighed in disappointment then checked on Hop.

“I’m fine! Just a little shaken. I’ll be more careful next time,” he promised. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over them and Gloria looked up to see an Onix staring down at them menacingly.

“Sobble, use Water Pulse!” she cried. Hop jumped and turned around, calling out a Double Kick from his Scorbunny. The attacks did little damage to the Pokemon as it roared in anger.

“Uh oh…” Hop gulped.

“Run!” Gloria screamed, grabbing Hop’s hand and tugging him away from the Onix’s slamming tail. They sprinted as fast as they could from the Rolling Fields until they reached the Dappled Grove, where they rested under a tree.

“Too close,” Hop panted, trying to catch his breath.

“No kidding,” Gloria breathed, sliding down against the bark of the tree. She looked out across the horizon and noticed the sun beginning to set. Had they really been travelling for hours?

“We should set up camp,” she said, unpacking her belongings and letting out her Pokemon. Hop agreed and they got to work, putting up their tents and setting up a giant pot to cook curry. Gloria checked her phone and plotted out their route as she looked over West Lake Axewell, the sun casting an orange glow over the waters. Sobble and Wooloo played with each other as the Rookidee siblings bickered, Scorbunny attempting to mediate the fight.

With them and their Pokemon fed and resting, Gloria and Hop retired into their tents to rise early in the morning to begin their journey anew.

-x-

It was mid afternoon as they travelled on the leftmost side of West Lake Axewell. They were making good progress and seemed as though they would be able to reach Motostoke sooner than expected. They caught Pokemon for their Pokedex as they journeyed but kept their current teams stagnant as none were interesting enough to put on their teams.

Gloria squinted as Hop pointed to something in the distance. “Hey! Look, there’s a Max Raid Den. Let’s check it out!” He ran towards it, leaving Gloria with no choice but to follow. As they reached the den, they noticed it was a Dynamax Rookidee, making Hop grin. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

Gloria smirked. “I think our Rookidee can take this one no problem.”

They leapt into the den and challenged the enlarged bird Pokemon, sending out their respective Pokemon. Hop, excited to battle, Dynamaxed his Rookidee as Gloria played support. With careful strategizing, they managed to take down the Pokemon but declined to capture it. They exited the den in high spirits, but Gloria gasped as she noticed that the sun had already begun to set.

“Oh man, how did we spend so much time in there?”

“Time flies when you’re raiding?” Hop tried. He shrunk at her unimpressed glare. She turned and noticed a tower close by. Referencing her phone, she grabbed Hop and they made their way to the Watchtower Ruins. They quickly set up camp and started up the fire, their Pokemon once again let loose.

As they prepared their curry, Hop sneezed into his elbow as he felt something tickle his nostrils. “Ugh, that was weird.”

“And gross. Don’t sneeze into the food.” Gloria scrunched her nose in disgust.

“Yea because I totally meant to sneeze into our dinner.” Hop rolled his eyes. He blinked when he noticed a purple hue come over Gloria. “Hey you okay?”

Gloria tilted her head to the side. “Uh yea, why?”

“Because you’re looking kinda – GHASTLY!”

“What the fu –” Gloria exclaimed as she was tackled to the ground. Above them, a Ghastly chuckled ominously as it was joined by Duskull. The ghost Pokemon started messing with their curry, flinging the utensils across the camp. Gloria quickly stood up with Hop and they ordered Scorbunny and Sobble to attack. Their combined attacks were dodged by the Ghost types as they floated towards them. Ghastly used Lick on Scorbunny, paralyzing him, but he managed to break through it to land an Ember attack, Sobble following close behind with Water Pulse. The Duskull attempted to attack with a Shadow Sneak but Sobble dodged and landed a Water Pulse. The Ghost types fainted and vanished as they were defeated.

Hop turned to Gloria. “Whew that was a close one!” he breathed. He approached his Scorbunny and gave it a Cheri berry to heal it. “We oughta stock up on more supplies once we get into town proper,” he commented.

Gloria stretched her tired limbs. “Well, that’s enough excitement for one night. Let’s eat and head to bed. We should reach Motostoke by noon tomorrow if we get up early!”

“Sounds like a plan!” Hop agreed, then his smile faltered. “Uh… our curry is totally overcooked.”

-x-

The pair quickly set out in the morning after healing their Pokemon and traversed the land north of East Lake Axewell in a couple of hours. They stopped just short of the stairs and grinned, racing each other to the top. The large gates had already been opened so they stepped into the city with no trouble. They looked around in amazement at the sound of bells and the sight of machinery everywhere. It looked as though the entire town was run on gears and pulleys.

“Hey! Over here!”

Hop and Gloria turned to find Sonia. _HOW?!_

They approached her as she waved at them. “Real ace of you to make it through the Wild Area!” she said. “Seems like your trek ran your Pokemon ragged, though. You should pop into the Pokemon centre.”

“You have no idea…” Gloria muttered as she slouched. Hop elbowed her and she fixed her posture. Sonia raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. She led them into the centre and they healed their Pokemon up. She showed them how to make their own League cards, which they eagerly did. Hop made his look cool but Gloria made hers totally silly. They laughed as they compared their cards, Sonia joining in.

“Motostoke sure is big, right? But don’t worry, I’m here to guide you two,” she said kindly. “Come and find me when you’re ready.” Gloria and Hop nodded as she made to leave. She slowly started to reminisce as she muttered about the opening ceremony. Hop and Gloria purchased some supplies from the market and left the centre, rejoining Sonia near the entrance of the city.

“So, Gloria and Hop! Do you remember why we’re here?” she quizzed them. Hop raised his hand and exclaimed “the opening ceremony!” Sonia winked at him. “That’s right!” She turned and beckoned them to follow her. She pointed up at the gym. “There’s the gym! You still have about two days before the opening ceremony. You can use the lift to get up there. Oh and don’t forget to register! That should be the first thing you do.”

Gloria smiled. “Thanks, sis!” Sonia blinked in surprise then returned the smile.

“Well, laters! I’m going to swing by the shops while I’m here. If you need anything, here’s my Rotom phone number, ‘K?” She registered her number in the two trainers’ phones then set off toward the market. They waved goodbye as she left.

“Finally!” Hop grinned. “Time to explore!”


	5. Marnie & Bede

Hop and Gloria entered the nearest café and approached the front desk. The Café Master explained it was a Battle café and that he would get them drinks on the house if they won the battle. The pair shared a look and accepted the challenge, winning easily. As they sat at a table with their spoils, they contemplated their next move.

“We should definitely register at the stadium then check-in to the hotel,” Hop said.

“So reasonable!” Gloria teased, earning a light kick to the shin. “I want to visit the boutique and pick up clothes… preferably some pants. I’m feeling kind of grimy.” Gloria grimaced as she tugged at her clothes. She touched the tips of her hair. “Maybe a haircut too…”

“Don’t go spending all your money here now!” Hop joked, earning his own shin kick. They finished their drinks and stood up, thanking the Café Master for his hospitality. On their way to the lift, Gloria stopped by the hairdresser and boutique, trimming her hair to her usual short bob and purchasing a pair of jeans and a new sweater. She kept her beret on, too attached to take it off. “You don’t want anything?” Gloria asked.

“Nah, I’m happy with what I have,” Hop answered. They approached the lift but before they could get on they were interrupted by the sound of Charizard’s roar. They turned to see Leon walking towards them after thanking Charizard for his guidance. “Lee!”

“Hop! Gloria! I see you two look just like the kind of trainers I’d want to endorse.” He grinned. “Good thing I did!” He nodded toward the lift. “Let’s take the lift to get to the stadium.” They ascended and Gloria felt herself sway in surprise at the motion. When they reached the top, she quickly got off the metal death trap.

Leon saluted them as he walked ahead. “I’ll see you guys later! Good luck.” Hop and Gloria waved as he ran off into the stadium.

“Let’s go register,” Hop said. They walked forward but were interrupted by a man with a Pokeball suit. Gloria blinked in surprise. _What the hell…_

“Hello! You must be gym challengers! Welcome, I am Ballguy, serving your pokeball needs. Here are some Friend Balls, because we’re friends now!” Ballguy said, gifting them with the aforementioned pokeballs. Gloria thanked him on her and Hop’s behalf as Hop stared in stunned silence. She pushed him forward, muttering about how rude it is to stare. When they entered the stadium’s lobby, they stared out at the sheer amount of people milling about.

Hop looked around as he stood in front of Gloria. “Look at that… the place is packed with challengers! Every one of these folks is another rival!” He paused. “Let’s get signed up!”

They approached the receptionist and waited behind a boy with a purple coat and what appeared to be very soft, white hair. The boy spoke with the receptionist quietly and when he was finished, turned around and combed his hair back. He walked forward haughtily, Gloria could sense the arrogance flowing from him as the boy walked between the duo, totally ignoring them. She raised an eyebrow as she turned to look at Hop.

Hop rolled his eyes. “Seriously? What a piece of work…” He shook his head and they both approached the receptionist. They handed over their letters of endorsement and the man’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Fancy that… this is the first time we’ve had a challenger endorsed by the Champion!” he said as he looked at Gloria.

“Well, now you’ve had two, because I am as well!” Hop piped up, slightly miffed.

The gym official was clearly shocked, even with his eyes hidden behind his glasses. “What?! Two at once?! What’s come over Leon this year… You two must be special.”

Hop grinned and put his thumbs in his pockets. “I’m Hop, Leon’s little brother – in fact, I’m the next Champion. Get me all signed up, will ya?”

The man stuttered. “W-well, yes, I’m trying to… let’s see…” He punched some keys on his computer. “There! All signed up. Now you just need to pick your uniform number. This will be on the back of your uniform so choose wisely.”

Gloria smirked as she turned to Hop and he rolled his eyes. They chose their numbers and the official gave them their Challenger Bands for identification. He informed them that all trainers were pre-booked at the Budew Drop Inn, which made Gloria sigh in relief.

“The ceremony’s in two days, so be sure to come back by then,” he reminded them. Hop let out a shout of joy.

“Woohoo! That’s the League chairman for ya! C’mon Gloria, let’s go check out the fancy digs!” He tugged on Gloria’s wrist as he turned and they rushed down the lobby. Gloria noticed the boy from before leaning against the gym statue, who looked at them and turned his nose up. She immediately scowled and pulled Hop to a stop. Hop blinked in confusion then paled as he saw Gloria stomp towards the boy.

“Oi! What’s your problem? Think you’re better than the rest of us?” Gloria challenged.

The boy scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I was endorsed by the chairman himself. In other words, amongst you lot, I’m the most elite of all. So why don’t you clear off and not try talking to me again, would you?” At Gloria’s increasingly red face, he smirked. “It’s positively criminal of you, wasting the time of someone like myself.”

Gloria took a deep breath, ready to unleash her inner Postwick all over the boy, when Hop slammed his palm over her mouth and dragged her out of the centre. “Gloria! Calm down!” Hop pleaded as they made it to the streets.

“Calm down?!” Gloria repeated angrily. “That wee posh arrogant…” She muttered the rest of her sentence angrily as Hop begged her to quiet down, silencing the string of curses. She sighed and followed Hop as he led them to the Budew Drop Inn. She would teach that boy a lesson should she ever face him in battle, she was dead set on that. Had she been calmer, she would have a noticed a Morpeko and their trainer watching her every move with keen interest…

-x-

They stood in the main lobby of the Inn, gazing around in wonder. It was definitely fancy and looked very cozy. They noticed Sonia standing in front of a statue depicting a warrior carrying a sword and a shield. She turned as they approached her.

“Hiya! Looks like you’re all registered” She greeted them kindly.

“Oh hey, Sonia!” Hop said. “What’re you doing at our hotel?”

Sonia put her hands on her hips. “I’m researching the mysterious Pokemon in the Slumbering Weald. I reckon if I look into some of Galar’s legends, I might figure something out.” She tilted her head and smiled. “Care to join me?”

Far be it from Gloria to turn down someone as adorable as Sonia. “Sure,” Gloria said, returning her smile.

Hop pointed at the statue. “What’s this, then?” he asked.

“It’s a statue of the hero who once saved the Galar region. I could run through the legend right quick, if you fancy?” Gloria and Hop looked at each other and asked for the long version, and she nodded. She explained the history of the region and the Darkest Day, as well as the hero who saved the region from the gigantic Pokemon.

Hop’s eyes widened in amazement. “Wow! That guy must’ve been as strong as Lee! Seems like you’ll have your hands full with plenty of research, though, Sonia.”

“She’ll be fine, Hop,” Gloria said with full confidence. Sonia smiled sweetly.

“Heh, thanks! Don’t you worry, I’ll muddle through it somehow.” She pointed her thumb behind her. “You two are staying here for the next few days, right? Shouldn’t you check in?”

“Probably so!” Hop said. “And we’ll keep our ears and eyes out about all this hero stuff for ya, Sonia!”

The duo bid her farewell and approached the check-in desk, where they noticed a commotion. There were gym challengers surrounding a group of rowdy-looking folk, dressed in black and pink, some with undercuts and some with mohawks as their hair styles. The gang blocked the check-in desk, preventing the challengers from signing in. Gloria and Hop stood behind them, Gloria tapping one on the shoulder.

“Hey, what’s going on here?” she demanded.

The man turned around and sneered down at her. “We came to cheer on all the challengers! Team Yell is here to help after all. You’re in for a battle if ya wanna stop us!”

Gloria grinned, Hop crossed his arms and shook his head in exasperation. “You’re on.” The four Team Yell members turned around and loitered menacingly. The leader of the group brought stepped up to her face.

“Didn’t we tell you, mate? You get in our way, and you’re in for a battle!” he said. “We’re in it to help one special gym challenger, and we’re here to cheer her on nice and proper… And now you’re gonna help us make some noise!”

“Can we just battle already?” Gloria muttered. She clicked Sobble’s pokeball and sent him out against the grunt’s Zigzagoon, taking it out quickly. Hop cheered her on in the background as she defeated him.

The grunt yelled out in anger. “Oi! Gimme a break here. Get revenge for me, wouldja?” He turned to his buddies who stalked forward menacingly. The next grunt approached her and held a poster of what appeared to be a girl around her age. Gloria squinted her eyes in confusion, but quickly focused as the grunt sent out a Nickit. Gloria sent out Rookidee this time and made quick work of this Pokemon as well. The last pair of grunts challenged Hop and Gloria together, as Hop grew impatient and wanted to battle.

Hop sent out his Wooloo and Gloria kept Rookidee in, and they took care of the pair just as quickly as before with no trouble. The grunts staggered backward in shock, mumbling in disbelief. One of them waved the poster in front of their eyes as they began to cry.

“What are you lot doin’ here?” A soft but stern voice rang out across the lobby. Team Yell’s jaws dropped as they stuttered apologies. Gloria turned and saw a girl with a leather jacket over a light pink dress, black hair up in pig tails and Morpeko by her side. She immediately recognized her as the one on the poster, and suddenly she understood why Team Yell acted this way. _Holy crap…_

“M-marnie?!” a grunt stuttered out. _So that’s her name._

“N-n-nothin’ … We was just…” The girl – Marnie – slowly walked forward, eyes only on Team Yell as she scolded them.

“I know you all are terribly curious ‘bout the other gym challengers,” she said, “but you gotta show a bit of restraint.” Suddenly, she turned to face Gloria and Hop and Gloria found it hard to breathe as she stared directly into her turquoise eyes.

“Sorry ‘bout them!” Marnie apologized, turning her gaze downward. Morpeko looked up and copied her trainer. By Gloria’s side, Sobble tilted his head cutely. “They’re just a bunch of my fans. Call themselves Team Yell and follow me around, cheerin’ for me.” _How do I join this team_? Gloria thought desperately.

“That’s okay!” Gloria heard Hop say, “we understand. Excitement gets the better of us.”

Marnie sighed. “I think they’ve let it all go to their heads a bit…” She turned to the grunts and fixed them with a glare. “Come on, you lot! Back home with you now!” Morpeko squeaked with her, as though reinforcing her threats. Gloria smiled at how cute it looked. The grunts immediately shuffled out of the lobby.

Once they left, Marnie felt the need to explain further, looking at Gloria directly, who blushed slightly. “They’re jus’ so caught up with wantin’ ta support me and all that they tend to get a bit shirty with other gym challengers,” she said. “Sorry if they caused you any trouble.”

Hop put his arms behind his head and grinned. “So you’re a gym challenger, too?” he asked. Marnie slid her gaze over to him and nodded.

_Oh no!_ Gloria thought. _I can’t cheer for her… she’s my rival!_

“Pretty impressive that you already have a set of fans to call your own!” he commented.

Gloria glanced off to the side as she remarked “I can see why.” Marnie snapped her gaze back to Gloria, her mouth opening a little before she settled on a very tiny smile. Internally, Gloria squealed. _TOO. CUTE._

“Well, I’ll see ya later!” she waved and entered the lift, likely to head to her room. Morpeko jumped onto her shoulder and waved cutely back. Hop turned to Gloria and raised an eyebrow, but she blushed and told him to shut up.

“I didn’t even say anything.” Hop smiled.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Gloria muttered, pulling her beret down further over her ears.

Hop breathed in deeply. “Gloria and Marnie, sitting in a tree –” Gloria tackled him to the ground and pinched his cheeks until he cried mercy. They straightened and checked their phones, wincing at the time.

“Welp, guess we better head to bed,” Hop said. “We’ll do some more explorin’ tomorrow.” Gloria agreed and they went to check in. When they were finished, they entered the lift. On their way, the challengers who witnessed them battling Team Yell praised their abilities, making Hop blush. They found their respective rooms and bid each other good night.

As Gloria laid in bed, her thoughts revolved around the people she met, mainly Marnie, though she also found her thoughts angrily going back to the boy in the purple coat.

_This is going to be one interesting adventure…_ she thought, as she drifted off to sleep, Sobble and Rookidee curled on the end of her bed.


	6. Opening Ceremony

It was time, finally, for the opening ceremony for this year’s Galar Gym Challenge. Gloria felt butterflies in her stomach as she woke up and went through her usual morning routine. She hadn’t bumped into Marnie at all since their first meeting, since she and Hop had explored nearly every crevice of the town. They still had not gone by the docks, though she planned on it during their next visit to the city.

She took the lift down and nearly fell over in laughter. There was Hop, at seven in the morning, practicing his ball throwing in the middle of the lobby. _Don’t ever change, mate,_ Gloria thought fondly.

“Did ya catch anythin’ yet?” Gloria teased. Hop turned around, his ears turning red.

“M-morning!” he stuttered. He paused then stuck his tongue out. “Did ya ask Marnie out yet?”

Gloria grumbled and crossed her arms. “Point taken.” He chuckled.

“So this is it… My legend begins!” He got into his excited pose. “Watch out, Gloria! I’ll see ya at the stadium!” He rushed off ahead of her. “Morning, Marnie!” Gloria paled slightly as she heard his greeting. _Please for the love of Arceus tell me she didn’t hear Hop from before!_

Gloria slowly descended the stairs and approached the lobby. Marnie was starting out the door, frowning slightly. “Morning!” Gloria greeted cheerfully.

Marnie turned to her and smiled ever so slightly. “Mornin’. Is he always like that? Itchin’ to get anywhere an’ everywhere?”

“That’s Hop for ya,” Gloria said. “He really took after his name!” she joked.

Marnie put her sleeve in front of her mouth as her eyes crinkled slightly. Internally, Gloria fainted. She cleared her throat and lowered her arms behind her back. “So the gym challenge is startin’ already. I’d wish you luck, but I’m afraid I’m goin’ to be the one to win.”

Gloria grinned, always up for the challenge. “We’ll see about that.” She looked down and noticed Sobble and Morpeko chatting. “Hey, looks like our Pokemon get along!”

“Mmm, that’s odd,” Marnie commented, “Morpeko is very hard to get along with, usually…”

Morpeko squeaked in indignation and went into Hangry mode, scaring Sobble, who retreated behind Gloria’s legs. Marnie sighed and tossed a berry to Morpeko, who immediately calmed down and chewed on her food cutely.

Gloria bent down and lightly patted Morpeko’s head, receiving a head bump in return. “Well, we’d better get going! We’ll see each other at the stadium, yea?”

Marnie nodded. “See ya!”

Gloria left the hotel, Sobble in tow, and met up with Hop in the lobby of the stadium. They approached the receptionist, who informed them that they had to wear the challenger uniform for the ceremony and their gym challenges. Quickly changing into their uniforms, Hop rolled his eyes so hard when he saw the back of hers. “You really had to go and do it eh?”

“What?” Gloria grinned, proudly flashing the 69 on her back. “I betcha everyone’s doin’ it!” She winked.

“Ugh, shut up.” Hop shoved her as she laughed. Behind them, the arrogant boy from before rolled his eyes and sauntered past them. Hop turned to Gloria and pointed at her. “Behave!”

“All challengers, please enter the side entrance to the stadium and await further instructions.” The voice sounded over the PA, suddenly unleashing all the nerves the trainers tried to hide to the forefront of their minds and stomachs.

Hop glanced at Gloria, heart pumping as they followed the directions. “This is it.” Behind him, Gloria exhaled nervously.

-x-

It was hard to imagine anything more intense than the moment they were in right now. Gloria looked ahead at the small window of the large crowd from the tunnel. She looked around at the other nervous challengers, spotting Marnie crossing her arms with the same stoic look on her face. _She’s not showing it, but I know she’s just as nervous as the rest of us._

She returned her attention to the exit as Rose spoke (she recognized him from the video). Loud, upbeat music played in the background as he announced this year’s season and explained the rules. They had three months to complete the challenge in order to qualify for the Pokemon League tournament, starting from today. Gloria filed that away mentally, knowing she had more than enough time to traverse the entire region in three months.

“Now, I would like to invite the Gym Leaders to show themselves!”

Gloria suddenly turned her attention to the other side of the field where seven distinct and powerful-looking trainers moved together as a group, almost as though in slow motion. She recognized Raihan and Nessa (who she happened to recognize from her side gig as a model), but the others were lost on her. Their names were announced as they walked, but Gloria could not focus as her heartbeat matched to the pace of the music. She looked back at Marnie, who was frowning, when she realized there were only seven trainers. _Aren’t there supposed to be eight?_

She returned her attention to the gym leaders just in time to see Raihan take a selfie his Rotom phone. Suddenly, trainers around her started moving forward and Hop pushed her ahead. She heard her footsteps echo loudly in her ears as she exited, gazing at the immense crowd in wonder. The announcer introduced each of them, but she could not hear anything over her own nerves. Soon enough, they were corralled back into the tunnel and the changing rooms, where she changed back into her street clothes. She met up with Hop outside who was positively shaking from excitement.

“Standing there on the pitch… in the stadium… in front of everyone!” he exclaimed, going into his excited pose. _Does he even realize when he’s doing that?_ Gloria wondered.

“There’s really no words for it, but,” he continued, “I can barely contain myself! My heart’s racing!”

Gloria opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by none other than Leon as he walked towards them, Chairman Rose in tow.

“You’ve made it at last, Hop, Gloria!” Leon said.

Rose stepped forward and smiled kindly, though Gloria felt slightly uneasy at his tone. Maybe it was just because of his position? He had the highest authority in the league, after all…

“So you’re the two trainers our Champion endorsed himself! Welcome, and it’s a delight to meet you!” Rose stroked his beard as he glanced down. Gloria followed his gaze to her Dynamax band. “Oh? I see you both already possess Dynamax Bands! How wonderful!” He smirked slightly. “By the way, it was my wonderful company that invented those Dynamax Bands, you know!”

“The gym challenge is the perfect time to show off your Dynamax Pokemon,” he continued. He checked his watch. “Ah, I’m terribly sorry but I must be going now. The best of luck to both of you!”

As he left, Leon provided words of encouragement and advice to the duo, reminding them to not only train their Pokemon, but also themselves. He set off after wishing them luck, and Hop turned to Gloria.

“So, this is it! We are now officially rivals, Gloria. First gym’s in Turffield, I’ll race ya there!” Hop sprinted away, waving behind his back as Gloria sighed in exasperation.

Gloria exited the lobby and went out onto the street. She was approached by an official who presented her with a gift from the chairman himself. It was a Corviknight Taxi license, allowing her to fly to places she previously had visited. _Nice!_

She made her way to Route 3, waving at all the people who wished her luck. Once she exited the city limits, she trekked across the grassy route, her trusty Sobble and Rookidee by her side. She spotted a Vulpix slowly trying to approach her from her peripherals and turned on her heel to face it. It growled lightly in challenge and she sent Sobble to take it on. With the type advantage she was able to weaken it enough for capture, bending down to pick up the ball once it was confirmed stable.

“Welcome to the team, Vulpix.” Gloria smiled.

-x-

She entered the Galar mines apprehensively, Sobble sticking close to her. Rookidee and Vulpix returned to their balls as they were not happy to be surrounded by Rock-type Pokemon. _Understandable_ , Gloria thought. It was a beautiful sight, though, with colourful gems glittering against the golden walls. She battled a few trainers and wild Pokemon, making her way through the tunnels.

She was walking on the rail when she heard a _clack, clack, clack_ from behind, as though a cart was barreling straight for her. Turning on her heel quickly her eyes widened and she jumped out of the way as a Carkol sped by her. _Too close!_

She stood up and patted herself down, Sobble croaking worriedly. “Don’t worry, mate, I’m good. Let’s get out of here, yea?” As she smiled she heard the same sound behind her and quickly veered towards the source. It was the same Pokemon, except it was a bit farther away than before. She clenched her fists. “Ok, Sobble, use Water Pulse! Let’s teach ‘em a lesson!”

Sobble complied and quickly sent the Carkol away as it took on a huge amount of damage. When he landed on his legs he began to glow and shudder, Gloria gasping in amazement. “You’re evolving!” she sputtered.

Sobble’s form shuddered and grew until it settled on a shape, which Gloria quickly examined with her Pokedex. “Drizzile, eh?” She smiled, crouching. “Nice to meet ya! Though I reckon you’re gettin’ a bit too big for me to carry ya in my arms.” Drizzile blushed as he palmed his face with his hands, Gloria laughing lightly. She stood up and dusted herself off. “Right, then.” She looked forward, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. “Let’s get a move on.”

She noticed a figure standing near the exit, in the middle of the room. Once she recognized the purple coat, she clenched her teeth. _So we meet again, wanker…_

“Coming this way?” the boy said airily. “I’d advise against it. Any trainer with a Wishing Star is in for a beating!”

Gloria scoffed and crossed her arms. “I’d like to see you try.”

The boy combed his hair back and regarded her haughtily. “You’re endorsed by the Champion aren’t you? Do you not realize that I am superior? The Chairman is above the Champion, therefore I, Bede, am above you! It will be my absolute pleasure to stomp you into the ground where you belong.”

Gloria filed his name away mentally before she narrowed her gaze. “Challenge accepted, prick!” Gloria shouted as she sent out Vulpix. He sent out Solosis and launched a Confusion attack, but not before Vulpix landed a Confuse Ray. Solosis hit itself on the next turn and Gloria ended it with a powerful Incinerate.

“Tch!” Bede sent out Gothita in response. Vulpix was able to land a Quick Attack before Gothita launched a Psybeam hitting Vulpix dead on and knocking her out. Gloria sent out Rookidee who took one turn to set up Hone Claws then landed a devastating blow with Power Trip, taking only slight damage from the Psybeam. Bede closed his eyes in apparent anger.

“I’m just giving your Pokemon a chance to shine. That’s all.”

“How generous of ya!” Gloria mocked. Bede narrowed his eyes and sent out Hatenna, who immediately started with Play Nice to reduce Rookidee’s attack. Gloria retaliated with Taunt, forcing it to attack purely. Bede commanded a Disarming Voice attack, which hit Rookidee dead on, but she kept her head up proudly.

“Alright Rookidee, hit it with Peck!” Rookidee swarmed Hatenna and pecked it, causing it to screech and move away. Bede retaliated with Confusion, which Rookidee took the brunt of, causing it to collapse.

“It’s over,” Gloria announced.

“Oh, is it?” Bede sneered.

Gloria let Drizzile out, who immediately moved to Hatenna and landed a devastating Sucker Punch. Bede recalled his Pokemon and turned his body away angry.

“Well, I wasn’t really trying all that hard anyway!” he yelled. He calmed a bit and glanced over at Gloria. “I suppose you are more capable than I thought. Nevertheless, I know your tricks so I will be better prepared next time we meet. I’m sure I can defeat you in an official gym battle.” He turned around. “I won’t waste any more time on you.” He then ran, exiting the tunnel. Gloria frowned until she remembered that he had been stealing Wishing Stars from other trainers as well as extracting them from the mine. She shook her fist angrily. _That turd!_

She exited the mine onto Route 4, breathing a sigh of relief, but Bede was nowhere to be found. She travelled alongside Vulpix after healing all her Pokemon, enjoying the crisp breeze and wading through the tall golden grass. She spotted the dome shape of the Grass gym in the distance, excitement bubbling within her. She battled more trainers and Pokemon, also capturing more of the latter, before finally arriving in Turffield.

As she made her way down the slope, she heard a man calling after a Wooloo. Vulpix jumped away to avoid the barrelling Pokemon as it bumped against her leg. When she looked up, she saw a face she recognized from the opening ceremony, who immediately recognized her as a challenger as well. He introduced himself as Milo and invited her to the stadium.

“I’m itching for a good fight with the Champion-endorsed challengers!” he said. He turned his attention to the Wooloo. “Come on now, let’s head back to the stadium. We can’t keep the challengers waiting!”

The Wooloo complained feebly as it followed him back into town. She continued forward until she noticed Hop by the Pokemon centre, grinning widely.

“Hey, Hop!”

“Hey! Just take a look at that, Gloria! That’s Turffield Stadium! Gym’s packed right now, so we’ll have to wait a bit, but Sonia was looking for you. She wanted to ask you about something since I had no idea what she was talking about.” He put his arms behind his head. “She’s up on that, err, what’s-her-face hill?”

Gloria tilted her head to the side. “The what-now?”

Hop squinted. “You know… the hill. Just look at your map!” They both turned when they heard a quiet bark. “Oh hey, Sonia’s Yamper. I’m sure he’ll show you the way if you follow him.”

Yamper barked, wagged his tail and went off towards Sonia. Gloria followed closely, spotting Sonia at last. “Gloria! Over here!” Sonia waved. “Thanks, Yamper.”

“Hey, Sonia,” Gloria grinned. “What’s up?”

“I had you come because I want to know what you think.” She turned around and pointed at what appeared to be strange drawing shaped on the hill. “What do you think of that geoglyph?”

Gloria contemplated for a bit, seeing what appeared to be dead bodies around a giant creature… “The Darkest Day?” she guessed.

Sonia smiled proudly. “Right perceptive of you.” She launched into a brief history about the Darkest Day and the black storm that seemed to be missing from the picture.

“Gran sure gives me a lot to do,” she mumbled, twirling her hair in thought. She turned to thank Gloria for her time and thoughts. She offered some advice on challenging Milo and gifted her with some Revives.

“Good luck!” she exclaimed.

“Thanks!” Gloria returned. “And good luck to you as well.” Gloria headed down the hill toward the gym, only to see Hop standing in front of the doors. He held a tiny metal bit with green coating in his hand, grinning proudly. Gloria leaned forward for a closer look; it was the grass gym badge.

“Congratulations, Hop,” Gloria offered sincerely, happy for her friend.

“Thanks! Got it in one try!” Then, mysteriously, he added, “I reckon I’m just about the greatest when it comes to wrangling Wooloo…”

Gloria tilted her head curiously. “What do you mean?”

Hop laughed lightly. “You’ll see! You can do this, after all you’re my rival!” He turned to leave. “Good luck!”

Gloria sighed and faced the doors, eager to get started, but her mind still on the hills she had seen.


	7. Milo

Gloria changed into her challenger uniform and entered the gym. Upon descending the steps, she noticed a flock of Wooloo. A referee approached her and explained the challenge. _So, this is what Hop was talking about…_

She got to work and herded the Wooloo toward the stack of hay. They immediately tackled it, clearing it to advance forward. Gloria noticed a couple Yamper running around and did her best to avoid them. She let Vulpix take on any gym trainers, her fire easily overcoming them. They were very jovial, likely due to Milo as he had an easygoing personality. She finally reached the end but noticed a Wooloo had separated itself from the pack. Sighing in irritation she chased after it, finally sticking it in with the others to clear the challenge.

Gloria went up the final set of stairs, turning and waving at the camera as she went out onto the pitch. All around her, audience members cheered both for her and Milo, though Milo was far more popular. She took a deep breath and went to the centre to meet Milo. Milo offered her a smile.

“My gym’s the first one people face, so we get a lot of challengers,” he began, “but that didn’t stop you from reaching me. Proper job! You’ll have to push yourself to your limits to beat me!”

They went to their respective sides, Gloria sending out Vulpix and Milo sending out Gossifleur. Milo tried to spring a Sing attack but Vulpix was quicker, eliminating the Gossifleur with Incinerate. Milo grinned and let out his Eldegoss.

“We’re not going to be done that easy! We’re tough as weeds!” Milo returned his Pokemon to his ball and activated his Dynamax, enlarging his pokeball. “It’s Dynamax time!” He patted the ball before launching it into the air with one hand. Gloria stood her ground had Vulpix launch another Incinerate, but it only pushed Eldegoss to half health. Eldegoss unleashed a Max Overgrowth that, despite the type disadvantage, was able to knock Vulpix out.

Gloria exhaled slowly and praised Vulpix before switching for Rookidee. She wasted no time and immediately Dynamaxed her. She launched a Max Airstream but Eldegoss put up a Max Guard, blocking it. She tried again, but Eldegoss stood strong and returned a Max Overgrowth, hurting Rookidee. The next turn, Eldegoss reverted to normal. Gloria tried to end it with another Max Airstream but Eldegoss landed a Sing, effectively putting Rookidee to sleep. Gloria grew impatient, especially as Rookidee reverted to its smaller form. Although she knew Drizzile could take Eldegoss, she wanted Rookidee to be the one to win this.

“Rookidee! I believe in you! Wake up and finish this!”

Milo ordered Eldegoss to use a Razor Leaf attack, and just before it hit, it was deflected by a pair of glowing wings. Gloria gasped in surprise as Rookidee evolved mid-battle into Corvisquire, waking up in the process. With its newfound power and speed, she quickly overwhelmed Eldegoss with a Pluck attack, ending the battle.

The crowd roared in excitement and Gloria blinked as she remembered there was an audience. Gloria hugged Corvisquire as they danced joyfully. Milo grinned widely as they met in the middle, presenting her with the Grass Badge and shaking hands.

Outside, Gloria encountered Milo who reminded her to visit Hulbury in order to follow the League’s gym sequencing. He congratulated her again and wished her luck, Gloria waving happily as she left, flying high on the praise of passersby.

-x-

Gloria exited the Turffield Pokemon centre, checking her phone. _Should head down Route 5, to Hulbury…_

She travelled down the road, Corvisquire flying overhead and Drizzile walking ahead and chatting with Vulpix. They battled several trainers and Pokemon by the pond when Gloria noticed an oval-looking object resting against a tree. She recognized it as an egg, but it had no apparent owner. She looked around and waited, and seeing no one, picked it up gently. She walked up the slope and noticed a Pokemon Nursery, whose caretaker informed her she had not heard about any missing eggs.

Ever the mystery lover, Gloria felt drawn to the egg and resolved to take care of it. Gloria, not wanting to leave the egg behind, decided to carry it in her bag, hoping to hatch it. Vulpix sniffed at it curiously and she smiled. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure this little one hatches alright.” She continued down the path, occasionally joining other trainers’ camps and helping them make curry. She noticed the sun beginning to set and so quickened her pace.

She approached a bridge where she noticed Team Yell members harassing a doctor.

“Oi! Just hand over that bike! We wanna harass the other challengers!”

The doctor pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “You idiots wouldn’t even know how to work it! Do you even have Rotom phones?”

“What’s going on here?” Gloria said. The doctor turned to her gratefully.

“Please, if you could just show them a good thrashing, I would be in your debt.”

Gloria made quick work of the two grunts, who scurried away with their posters between their legs. The doctor presented her with a Rotom bike and showed her how to mount her phone. “It charges as you cycle, so you don’t have to worry about your battery dying! Isn’t renewable energy great?”

Gloria zoned out as she nodded. “Yea, definitely. Thanks!” She took off on the bike, feeling the wind whip her short hair around. Her Pokemon complained as she zoomed ahead so she slowed down, laughing. “All right, all right, back to walking it is…” She put the bike away and walked forward until she heard someone shouting. She looked up. It was Hop, of course.

“There you are Gloria! Any closer than that and I’ll take it as an invitation to battle!”

Gloria quickly stepped forward and let out her Drizzile, Hop sending out his Wooloo. He started off with a Defense Curl but it was no match for her Water Pulse. Hop switched gears and tried a Take Down but Drizzile was too fast and knocked Wooloo out.

“Oof!” Hop winced. “Good job buddy!”

He let out Corvisquire, so Gloria switched out for her Corvisquire. “Ah, the two siblings meet again!” he exclaimed.

“Seems like they’re both paced pretty well,” she commented. “But my baby is definitely stronger.”

“We’ll see about that!”

The Corvisquire went beak to beak on every blow, until finally Hop knocked out her Corvisquire with a well-timed Peck. “Ha!” he grinned. Corvisquire puffed his chest out proudly as his sister was called back to her ball. Gloria praised her quietly, then let out Vulpix, who was immediately ready to avenge her fallen teammate.

Corvisquire had been weakened significantly from his prior battle, so it took no time for Vulpix to fell him with a Quick Attack. Hop grinned as he let out Raboot. “You’re not the only one with an evolved starter!”

Raboot was much faster and landed a devastating Double Kick as a result, but Vulpix held on long enough to land a Disable, frustrating Hop. Vulpix was recalled back into her ball and Gloria sent out Drizzile to deliver the finishing blows.

“Gah!” Hop cried out. He sighed and put his hands on his hips. “You’ve gotten so strong, Gloria! Seems like I’ve gotta train even harder from now on.”

Gloria thanked Hop for a good battle. “Nessa’s next, right? Water-type gym?” Gloria asked.

“You betcha!” Hop grinned. “We’ll take her on, piece of cake!”

Gloria smiled at him. “Let’s go to Hulbury together. It’s getting dark so we should probably grab a hotel room anyway.”

Hop nodded in agreement. “Let’s go, then!” They traversed the rest of Route 5 in relative peace, finally arriving in Hulbury. They stopped by the Pokemon centre to heal their teams and stock up on supplies, then checked in to a local hotel. As Gloria entered the room, she set her bag down and plopped onto her bed, passing out before her head even hit the pillow. In the corner of the room, the egg twitched slightly as her Pokemon nestled around it.


	8. Nessa

Gloria rose in the morning feeling well-rested. She glanced over at her Pokemon and noticed they were still sound asleep, making her smile. She checked her phone to find a note from Hop.

_Hoppip: Hey! I’m heading to the gym, so I’ll see ya later. Good luck!_

Gloria replied in kind before she prepared herself and checked out of the hotel. She was only going to be here for the gym, then head straight to Motostoke, so it was pointless to stay for longer than a single night. Outside, she heard a commotion and saw Rose wearing an unflattering outfit, surrounded by what appeared to be his fans. A tall blonde woman herded them away, and Bede stood off to the side.

“Everyone, please leave now! The Chairman is a busy man,” the woman said sharply. The crowd dissipated slowly, bidding goodbye to the man.

“Wait, I can still do autographs!” Rose called out behind the woman. He sighed and crossed his arms. “Oleana, chasing them off like that seems a bit too harsh. We need their support if we want to remain in favour in Galar!”

Oleana seemed unperturbed. “Yes, fans are important, but you won’t have any fans if you don’t work – for their sake.”

Bede approached them. “I’ll do everything in my power to help, Chairman, sir.”

Rose turned to him and blinked. “Oh! And you are…?”

Gloria swore she saw Bede scowl before his face straightened. “Bede, sir.”

Rose let out a hearty chuckle. “Ah, yes! Bede, I’m impressed with how well you’ve done in the challenge thus far. Will you be the one to win the challenge or will it be the Champion’s trainers?” mused Rose.

Bede haughtily put his hands on his hips. “Your faith in me is not misplaced, Chairman, I won’t lose to anyone!”

Gloria snickered. _Except to me!_

Bede left, and she realized she had no choice but to make herself known as she stepped forward. Rose noticed her immediately and approached her. “Ah, Gloria, yes? Speak of the Impidimp… I am rather curious as to why Leon endorsed you. I hope I’ll get to see it firsthand!”

Gloria felt a shiver run down her spine at his grin. Or maybe it was the fact that he was wearing some hideous outfit, but she did her best to appear unfazed.

“Oh! I just had a wonderful idea. I would like to get to know you better, Gloria, so why don’t you come back to the seafood restaurant just down the block from here once you get your badge from Nessa. I believe an occasion like that calls for a celebration!”

As much as Gloria did not want to have lunch with them, she had no choice but to agree. “Sure, sounds like a plan.” She glanced behind the Chairman at Oleana, who sighed impatiently.

“Chairman, we must be going…” Rose nodded and wished Gloria luck as he left. Oleana turned to her. “Make your way to this restaurant as soon as you win your badge. Do not keep him waiting.”

Gloria rolled her eyes as she turned away. “Sure thing.” She left in a hurry, finding the stadium on her phone’s map. She went to the front doors of the stadium but was stopped by a gym trainer.

“Sorry, but Nessa’s not in at the moment. You should try the lighthouse, she’s usually there.”

Gloria sighed and asked for directions, then went on her way, she glanced around the town as she did, appreciating the sleepy atmosphere of a fishing town. She looked at the boats in the harbour in awe, marveling at their various sizes. She reached the lighthouse at last, seeing a woman with dark hair and light blue streaks leaning against the railing, staring out the sea. _Nessa._ She appeared to be on the phone, as Gloria heard the last few bits of conversation.

“Sonia, stop worrying so much. It’ll be fine. I’ll let you know when the girl passes by. Why don’t you come visit? I haven’t seen you in awhile…” Nessa paused. “I miss you.”

Gloria felt like there was a lot more meaning behind those words than they let on, and she decided to interrupt before she heard any further. The woman turned around as her eyes widened.

“Well, looks like one of your kids is here. I’ll call you back in a bit.” Nessa hung up as she regarded Gloria stoically. “Gloria, right? My name is Nessa, I’m the Water-type Gym Leader.” She smirked at Gloria’s shocked face. “Don’t be so surprised, you were endorsed by Leon. It’s all we Gym Leaders are talking about nowadays. Anyway, Ms. Famous, we should be heading to the stadium for our battle. I’m dying to battle you!” Nessa sauntered ahead as Gloria stayed a bit to enjoy the salty ocean breeze.

-x-

 _There’s water… everywhere!_ Was Gloria’s first thought as she entered the challenge room. The referee explained the structure of the maze and Gloria got to work, solving the puzzle and battling trainers on the way. By the end, she was totally soaked to the bone but she had done it.

She wringed the water out of her jersey as she stepped onto the pitch, still feeling nervous at being in front of a crowd. She met Nessa at the centre, ever so graceful, and the Gym Leader nodded in approval at seeing her. She welcomed Gloria warmly and warned her to stay on her toes. Nessa turned, whipping her hair behind her and moving to her end of the pitch. Gloria swallowed nervously and went to her side.

Nessa raised her leg high into the air and let out her Goldeen. Gloria, momentarily stunned by her flexibility, sent out Corvisquire. Corvisquire quickly took care of Goldeen with Air Slash and Peck, sustaining only a little bit of damage from a Horn Attack. Nessa smirked.

“We’re just getting started!” Nessa launched Arrokuda out of the ball, which was faster than Corvisquire and landed an Aqua Jet. Corvisquire shook the water off her feathers and retaliated with Air Slash, knocking out Arrokuda’s weak defenses. She flapped her wings proudly as Gloria praised her.

Nessa crossed her arms. “Looks like I’m down to one last Pokemon. I’ve been saving the best for last!” She sent out her Drednaw, which roared in response to Corvisquire. Nessa quickly Dynamaxed it, yelling “flood the stadium Drednaw!”

Gloria could do nothing but watch as a Max Rockfall took out her Pokemon, creating a sandstorm. The crowd roared and cheered in tandem. She covered her eyes and sent out Drizzile. She Dynamaxed him quickly, unleashing a Max Geyser on Drednaw. Drizzile took the answering Max Rockfall like a champ and finished the battle with a last Max Geyser, overpowering the sandstorm with rain.

Nessa stumbled back in surprise as she recalled her Pokemon. “How can this be?!” She sighed, “Now that I’ve battled you, I understand what Sonia was trying to say. You might even be strong enough to take on Leon!” Gloria grinned proudly as they met in the middle, thanking her as she was given the Water badge. They shook hands and Nessa gave her a warm smile.

-x-

They left the stadium together, meeting Oleana outside. Nessa raised an eyebrow as Oleana met their gazes steadily. Oleana reminded Gloria to head to the seafood restaurant immediately and turned on her heel.

“What is with her,” Nessa muttered. She faced Gloria and smiled. “I’ll be joining you for a bit. I heard all about this from Sonia, she’s there now actually.”

Gloria nodded. “So are you and Sonia close?” she asked.

Nessa blushed slightly. “In a manner of speaking, yes.” She cleared her throat. “We were rivals when we were younger.” She quickly walked forward, cocking her hip out and staring over her shoulder. “Let’s not be late!”

The pair made it to the restaurant and Gloria headed straight for the Chairman, eager to get this over with. Rose, Sonia and Oleana stood around a table and turned to them in greeting.

“Gloria, hey! I heard you were coming,” Sonia said. She looked at the woman beside her and smiled sweetly. “Hi Nessa.”

Nessa fidgeted and welcomed her in return shyly. Gloria blinked. _This is totally different from when we were battling!_

Oleana narrowed her gaze slightly. “I don’t recall inviting you, Nessa.”

Rose laughed jovially. “Oh it’s alright! The more the merrier, plus she is the Gym Leader of this beautiful town, she ought to join in on our celebration of Gloria’s victory!” He gestured to the table. “Let’s all sit down and order some food, shall we?”

The arranged themselves such that Rose and Sonia sat facing Gloria and Nessa, with Oleana standing behind Rose. They ordered food based off of Nessa’s recommendations and chatted while they waited.

“So how is Professor Magnolia?” Rose inquired, turning to Sonia. “I owe her so much for her research into the Dynamax effect!”

Sonia sighed and shook her head. “She’s still worried about everything we don’t know about Dynamaxing.” She pulled out her phone, tapping into an app. “She even made me upgrade my phone with this Power Spot Detector for my travels.”

“Ah!” Rose exclaimed. “Yes, the PSD. That’s how I found the optimal locations for the Galar gyms. They work by detecting the Galar particles, which are used to Dynamax Pokemon.”

“Galar particles?” Gloria questioned.

Sonia giggled. “Didn’t you learn this in school?”

Nessa rolled her eyes. “I don’t think they would cover these things in beginner trainer school, sweetheart.”

“Well,” Rose interrupted, smiling, “Galar particles are energy packets produced by the Galar field. These energy packets can only be controlled via Wishing Stars, which are denser forms of Galar particles. The Dynamax bands operate by emitting a certain frequency of electromagnetic radiation to resonate with the Wishing Stars, which in turn allow the energy in the Power Spots to be absorbed and utilized by Pokemon.

“Power Spots were discovered by my company, Macro Cosmos, close to thirty years ago, back when I was still learning the ropes from my father. The bands were designed by us once the good Professor had published her breakthrough on the interactions between the Wishing Stars and the Power Spots a year after discovery. This eventually led to the gym challenges as you know them.”

“But,” Sonia continued, frowning, “there’s still so much we don’t know, like where these Wishing Stars came from, why the Galar region uniquely has this phenomenon, why it only affects Pokemon and not humans… some even speculate that Dynamaxing originated from a powerful Pokemon.”

Rose’s lips turned down slightly. “Hm, well, if they can find proof I’ll believe it. Currently, our brightest minds say this is an environmental phenomenon. In any case, Macro Cosmos is working on it, but from a more practical perspective,” Rose said, taking his sunglasses off to polish them. “We are very interested in learning more about the properties of Galar particles to apply them in more common uses. Imagine if we could power the whole region using Dynamax energy! Wouldn’t that be amazing?”

Nessa closed her eyes and frowned, crossing her arms. “As someone intimately familiar with Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing, it does sound useful and exciting. However, I also know how dangerous it can be if users are not careful.”

Rose chuckled. “Oh, every genius idea has had stumbling blocks, its own obstacles. The dangers associated with electricity are not worth shutting it all down, no?” He turned his gaze to Gloria. “What say you, Challenger?”

Gloria reddened slightly as everyone’s attention turned to her. “Uh… I don’t know if I have enough information to form an educated opinion,” she started, “but I’m sure there are other ways to generate power before we have to resort to such drastic and chaotic measures.”

Rose frowned, as though she answered wrong. “I suppose, but to maximize efficiency, you first have to start by maximizing risk. We wouldn’t get anywhere in life if all we did was take the safer option!” He turned to Sonia. “Still, I don’t like hearing that Professor Magnolia is so worried, which is why I would like to help you with your work. You should visit the vault in Hammerlocke, you may learn more about the Dynamax phenomenon there.”

“Very well, Chairman, I shall set up an appointment with miss Sonia,” Oleana spoke softly, “however, we must be going now.”

Rose pouted slightly. “But I haven’t even gotten to the best parts yet!” He sighed then replaced his sunglasses. “Ah, it can’t be helped. Take care, you three, and good luck on your journeys!” He stood from the table and had Oleana settle the tab before they left, a Corviknight Taxi waiting for them outside.

Nessa, Gloria and Sonia remained seated as Sonia ordered some tea. Sonia twirled her hair around her finger in thought as she leaned back, Nessa learning forward in her chair and Gloria sipping her tea.

“Does he really think he’s doing me a favour?” she sighed. “He’s right that the vault is the best place to start looking but…”

“But…?” Nessa prodded, smiling.

“But I already thought of that,” Sonia pouted, blushing slightly. “And I don’t know if everything in those records is entirely accurate. There always seems to be contradicting information in all the leads I’ve found.”

“Like the lack of the black storm in the geoglyph in Turffield?” Gloried piped up.

“Exactly!” Sonia sighed again. “This research is going nowhere.”

Nessa put her hand over Sonia’s. “Don’t give up hope yet! Nothing good comes easy, we both know that.” They stared at each other silently as Gloria looked between the two, an idea finally forming in her head. She clutched her bag tighter to her chest, drawing Sonia’s attention to the large lump inside.

“Hey! Is that an egg?” she asked. Gloria grinned and hugged it closer.

“Sure is! I found it on the side of Route 5. Not sure what’s inside, but that’s part of the excitement.”

“I wonder why someone would just leave an egg like that,” Nessa pondered. “Is it close to hatching?”

Gloria nodded. “I can feel it twitching occasionally, but it doesn’t seem to be that close. I can’t wait for this little guy to come out!” She looked out the window, her grin dimming as she looked at her reflection. Above her head, she noticed a blimp in the distance with Rose’s face on it. “Sorry to change topics, but I can’t help but feel uneasy around Rose,” Gloria admitted, turning to look at the two women.

Nessa and Sonia turned to look at her. “What do you mean, Gloria?” Sonia asked, concern filling her voice.

“He’s just… creepy. I don’t know, I get the feeling he has some kind of hidden motives. And the fact that he set all this up just to congratulate me? Me? What makes me so special? Why not Hop, the brother of his Champion?” Gloria vented, eager to let her feelings out.

Nessa traced a finger around the rim of her cup. “He’s always been… odd. He used to have a huge problem with my modelling career. He not-so-indirectly implied it made me a weaker gym leader.” She gripped her cup strongly. “But, obviously, he was wrong.” She turned to Gloria. “I don’t want to say to not worry about it, you should stay on your toes, but just recognize that his threats are usually pretty empty.”

Gloria remained unconvinced. “Alright…” She checked her phone and sighed. “Well, I better get going. Need to reach Motostoke before nightfall!” Gloria stood up and thanked the two women for their time and left the restaurant, both wishing her good luck. She stepped into the bright sunlight and made her way onto the street, where she ran into Hop.

“Oi, mate!” Hop shouted, grinning, “fancy seeing ya here! Let’s head to Motostoke together now that you have your gym badge, yea?”

“Hop,” Gloria said, returning his grin, “I’m surprised you’re not there already!”

“Well I couldn’t just leave ya behind, who knows if you’d find your way.”

“I’m not Leon,” Gloria jokingly reminded him, “let’s go.”


	9. Reunion

Hop and Gloria reached the front of Galar Mine Two and entered. Gloria was reminded of the other mine she had traveled through and marveled again at the bright colours and crystal-clear water. Hop turned to her suddenly.

“Gloria! I heard Kabu’s here training right now. Betcha I can find him before you!” He took off sprinting again, barrelling right by Bede who had been examining some stones near the surface of the pond. Bede scoffed and turned to look at her, straightening in the process.

“Oh, it’s you… what’s your name?”

“Gloria,” she answered, crossing her arms.

“Well,” he started, combing his hair back, “it would be a waste of time to take you on, or a hidden mercy to crush you so early in the game.”

“Big talk for someone who lost to me so easily last time,” Gloria reminded him.

Bede put one hand on his hip, the other curled around a great ball. “Surely, if you falsely believe you’re stronger than me, then you’d be up for another battle, no?”

In response, Gloria sent out her Vulpix to take his Solosis. She landed a Will-O-Wisp right away, burning his Pokemon. He retaliated with a Confusion, which Vulpix recovered easily from. She landed an Incinerate finishing his Solosis off. He tightened his jaw in frustration. “Looks like you’ve grown a bit, but only a bit!”

He sent out his Gothita and Vulpix launched another Incinerate but missed as the former danced out of the way. Gothita hit Vulpix with a Psybeam, rendering her to low health. Vulpix managed to land a Confuse Ray before she was knocked out, Gothita swaying slightly. Gloria sent out Corvisquire which quickly knocked Gothita out with an Air Slash. Bede silently sent out Hatenna, which didn’t stand a chance against Corvisquire, but did land a Psybeam.

“Excellent!” Bede said, “not everyone can corner my team like this!”

He sent out his final Pokemon, a Ponyta, which fought bravely against Corvisquire but fell within two moves. He sighed irritably but admitted defeat, combing his hair back.

“You’re not weak,” he said, “you just lack talent.”

“Why are you such an insufferable prick?” Gloria replied angrily.

“I was endorsed by the Chairman! Am I not deserving of my pride?”

“It’s not pride, it’s arrogance! You’ve done nothing but talk down to everyone and play your shit up, but you’re no better than the rest of us.” She paused, narrowing her eyes. “And why are you collecting Wishing Stars?”

“Regardless,” he said, ignoring her question and glancing off to the side, “your chances of winning are slim. Goodbye.” He ran deeper into the cave, likely on his way to Motostoke, and Gloria sighed as she started down the cave to find Hop. She battled trainers and Pokemon as she went farther into the cave, healing her Pokemon along the way. She walked down the end of a long tunnel until she stumbled upon two Team Yell grunts.

“’Scuse me, mate, sorry to bother ya,” one of them started, “but you’re one of ‘em takin’ part in the Gym Challenge, righ’?”

“Crikey, but that’s really somethin’! We’d love a battle against you,” the other one finished. Gloria smiled and readied her stance but jumped when she heard Hop’s voice behind her.

“Well, look at you, Gloria!” he boomed. “I reckon you’ve gone and stolen Marnie’s fans! Soon you’ll have more than Leon.”

The other grunt interrupted angrily. “Oi, jog on, mate! Can’t ya see we’re in the middle of a conversation here?”

Hop crossed his arms and grinned. “And can’t you see you’re standing in front of the future Champion himself?”

The grunt laughed. “Is that so, mate?”

Hop turned on him angrily. “You think I’m joking? I’ll prove it then! C’mon Gloria, let’s take care of these blokes.”

The other grunt sighed sadly. “Why’d this kid hafta show up? We wanted ta pick ‘em off one by one…”

Hop and Gloria sent out Drizzile and Raboot, easily defeating the Team Yell grunts. They shared a cheeky grin as the grunts scurried off quietly. Hop cheered loudly, his voice echoing in the cave.

“Yes! We make a great team, Gloria.” He settled and looked around. “I haven’t found Kabu yet, let’s keep looking!”

They advanced farther into the cave, looking around for the Fire-type Gym Leader, battling more trainers on their way. Finally, they spotted an older man in a red uniform with a towel around his shoulders battling with more Team Yell members. He appeared to be scolding them for disturbing a working Carkol.

“Cheering is one thing, but one shouldn’t get in the way of honest work!” he yelled after them as they ran away. Carkol grunted in agreement.

Hop’s eyes shone. “That’s Kabu! Wicked!” Kabu turned around at the sound of his name and smiled at the young trainers.

“Hello! You two must be Hop and Gloria. I’ve heard all about you from Leon. My name is Kabu and I specialize in Fire types.” He tightened his grip on his towel. “I was just finishing up my training here – I have to be sure I’m ready to give you all the toughest match yet!” He glanced at his watch. “It’s getting late, so we will be heading back. Just head straight once you leave this mine and you’ll reach Motostoke in no time.”

He jogged away as they waved at him. Hop turned to Gloria once he left, but Gloria had already started running. “Last one to Motostoke is a Slowpoke!”

-x-

They reached Motostoke at last, stopping by a Pokemon Centre to rest and pick up supplies. After their Pokemon were tended to by Nurse Joy, they sat at a table in the corner of the adjacent café and ordered tea and snacks.

“Hop, check out this egg I found on Route 5!” Gloria pulled the egg and held it close. Vulpix jumped onto her lap and purred as she wrapped herself around the egg, warming it. Hop reached out to touch it as Wooloo propped himself up on the table edge on his hind legs to see. Just as Hop made contact to pet it, the egg twitched slightly and Hop flinched.

“It likes you!” Gloria laughed.

“Or it’s getting ready to fight me.” Hop grinned wryly. “How did you get this egg?”

“I found it on the side of the road, not sure why or how, just that I couldn’t leave it behind.”

“That’s so weird, how can someone just leave it like that?” Hop sipped his tea.

“It could also have been a Pokemon that had no choice but to leave it. Guess we’ll never know,” Gloria sighed. “What have you been up to in between gym challenges?”

“Mainly training my Pokemon— is that your phone?”

“I think it’s both of our phones!”

Hop and Gloria accepted the request for video chat and were greeted by their mothers. “Hi Mum!”

“Hello dears, so nice to see you together! How is your journey going so far?”

“Pretty great!” Hop answered. “We’re two gyms down, on our way to get the third. Reckon we should just get to that tomorrow, though.”

“Yea,” Gloria agreed, “I’m exhausted! We just made the roundtrip back to Motostoke.”

“That’s wonderful! Well, we just wanted to check up on you two. We’ve been keeping up with your matches on the telly, but we missed your voices. Good luck, we love you!” Hop’s mum hung up but Gloria’s mum stayed on the line.

“Oh, Gloria,” her mum started, a frown on her face, “that number on your uniform, is it—”

Gloria hung up as she blushed heavily. She groaned and put her head in her hands. “Oh Arceus, I totally didn’t think that Mum would be able to see it from the telly.” Hop was in tears from laughter.

Eventually, he calmed down and they stood up from their seats. They exited the centre and headed down the path to the Budew Drop Inn. “Think we can get those rooms for free still?” Gloria asked.

“I don’t see why not!”

The sun had almost completely set by the time they reached the inn. They entered the hotel lobby and saw Marnie standing in front of the statue, Morpeko by her side. She seemed to be in deep contemplation but snapped out of it as she turned around when they entered. Hop teasingly elbowed Gloria’s side and she stomped on his foot in retaliation. He held back his cry of agony as Marnie stepped forward to greet them.

“Hello Hop, Gloria. Out givin’ it your all, even this late, huh?” She glanced at Hop as he stumbled away to sit in the lounge area. Gloria rolled her eyes at him.

“We just got to Motostoke,” Gloria replied, “you been here a while?”

“Just a few hours,” Marnie smiled slightly. She put her arms behind her back and tilted her head to the side. “Hey, mind helpin’ me with somethin’? I want t’see if I’m ready for the next leg of the challenge.”

Gloria was tired. Exhausted. Bushed. She felt like she might collapse, but she’ll be damned if she refused Marnie. _Ugh, what am I gonna do if I have to fight her in the tournament?_ Gloria bemoaned in her head.

Instead, Gloria smiled widely and nodded. “Sure, anytime.”

Marnie’s eyes widened slightly – she might have noticed Gloria’s state and expected her to refuse. “Wicked! Got some fight in ya, eh?” Morpeko squeaked.

Gloria glanced up and noticed two Team Yell grunts appear from the stairs, one with a poster of Marnie and the other with a horn. _I need a copy of that poster._

Marnie sent out Croagunk first as Gloria sent out Corvisquire. “I’ll feel awful if I lose… but there’s no way I’m gonna!” she proclaimed.

Gloria simply smiled and commanded a Hone Claws to start. Marnie frowned and ordered a Poison Jab, which landed and poisoned Corvisquire. Gloria encouraged her and ordered an Air Slash, which knocked Croagunk out. Corvisquire flinched from the poison and so Gloria recalled her, not wanting to put her through unnecessary pain. She sent out Drizzile who was eager to fight as Marnie sent out Morpeko. Morpeko in turn squeaked when she realized that the Sobble she had teased evolved into something stronger.

“Looks like Morpeko’s a little jealous of Drizzile!” Gloria called out.

“’peko’s jus’ itchin’ ta fight,” Marnie replied, eyes twinkling. She called out a Spark attack but Drizzile was faster, hitting her with Water Pulse. Morpeko still managed to land the Spark but she was significantly weakened, allowing Drizzile to maintain good health as he maneuvered around the lobby.

“Hmm, I think this move expresses my feelins… what do you think?” Marnie said, as Morpeko used Bite in her Hangry form. Gloria blushed madly and tried to hide it by ordering Drizzile to move around the statue. Morpeko chased him with a Spark attack but was no match from a finishing Water Gun attack. Gloria recalled Drizzile when she noticed he was slightly paralyzed and sent out Vulpix.

She noticed Marnie looking at her strangely and blushed. “What? Do I got something on my face?”

Marnie shook her head and smiled. “Nah. We aren’t givin’ up jus’ yet!” She let out her last Pokemon, a Scraggy, who was unable to land any meaningful damage after Vulpix weakened her with a Will-O-Wisp.

“Vulpix, Incinerate!” Gloria called out. The hit landed and knocked Scraggy out, ending the match. The grunts booed Gloria but quieted when Marnie glared at them.

“You beat me,” Marnie said softly, looking down. She looked up at Gloria and offered a tiny smile. “We’d better get to bed and rest up for tomorrow. It was nice to see you again. And you Drizzile! G’night!” Morpeko squeaked in agreement. Gloria felt dizzy as Marnie glanced down quickly before looking back up. _Did she just…?!_

Marnie turned on her heel and went up the stairs, taking Gloria’s heart with her.


	10. Kabu

Gloria emerged from her hotel room, feeling refreshed and ready for the day. She reflected on her journey thus far as she took the lift down, realizing that it had almost been just over a week since she started her trip. _Boy, time sure does fly fast… Today is gonna be great, I can just feel it!_

When she exited the lift and entered the lobby, she noticed Marnie crouched and feeding Morpeko treats. Gloria called out a warm greeting.

“Mornin’, Gloria,” Marnie returned. “Hop already left to challenge Kabu, in case you were wonderin’.”

“I fully expected that, actually,” Gloria replied, laughing lightly. “Have you challenged him yet?”

Marnie nodded. “Earlier this mornin’, actually.” She paused. “I wanted ta see ya off before I left for Hammerlocke.” At Gloria’s face she rolled her eyes. “Ah don’t look so chuffed. It’s no big deal.” She turned and rummaged in her bag a bit. “Take this too… for our battle yesterday. You might need it for the gym challenge.” Marnie handed Gloria some Burn Heals. “No arguments!” Marnie threatened when Gloria opened her mouth, which she promptly shut. Marnie smiled slightly.

“Bet you’ll have no trouble beatin’ that Kabu chap, yea? Why don’cha get over there and get that gym badge already?”

Gloria grinned and nodded. “Thanks! See ya.” Gloria continued down the lobby, feeling Marnie’s eyes on her back as she pushed the doors open into the outdoors. She went to place the Burn Heals in her bag when she felt a paper crinkle in her hand. She opened it up to reveal a note in what she assumed was Marnie’s handwriting.

_I get the feeling you’re the type to send emojis over text! Let’s see if I’m right xxx-xxxx -Marnie_

Gloria’s face warmed as she read the note and she carefully placed it in the side pouch of her bag after registering Marnie’s number.

 _Gloria: Wow, you know me so well!_ 😍

_Gloria: This is Gloria btw_

She sent the messages, grinning as she put her phone away. She looked up as she walked toward the stadium. She was surprised to see people cheering her on and knowing her name, so she waved back lightly as she made the trek to the stadium. She saw Hop waiting at the doors and shook her head fondly. “Hop! Ya just couldn’t wait, eh?”

Hop shrugged then put his arms behind his back. “You’re gonna have to be a lot faster to beat me!” He crouched into his excited pose. “Now hurry up and beat ‘em so we can get a move on to Hammerlocke! I’ll be rootin’ for ya!”

“Thanks, mate!” Gloria entered the gym and changed in the locker rooms, then entered the challenge room. Normally, she would keep her bag in the locker room, but she felt uneasy leaving the egg behind, so she grabbed it with her and kept it strapped tightly to her back. Immediately upon her entry, she started to sweat, attributing it to the immense heat and humidity in the room. _It is a Fire gym after all._

Gloria received the instructions from the referee and thought it was an interesting challenge. _Definitely unique, that’s for sure. I’ll do my best to score the highest!_ She crept through the room, Drizzile by her side, battling the Pokemon and mildly annoyed with the trainers when they attacked her. She had captured two of the three Pokemon when she felt an intense pressure against her back. Stumbling forward a bit, she unstrapped her bag and opened it up just in time to see the egg beginning to crack, a blue paw punching through. Drizzile peeked inside cautiously. The other gym trainers looked at her curiously, as well as the referee.

“Uh, sorry everyone, this is a bit unexpected…” she trailed off when the egg glowed and split open, the Pokemon struggling to get out. Drizzile reached a hand out and helped pick off the egg shells, and finally the Pokemon burst out rolling slightly on the ground before landing on his back. Gloria pulled out her Pokedex, identifying it as a Riolu. “Whoa…” She grinned widely and reached out to cradle the Pokemon in her arms. He squeaked, barely able to open his eyes but reaching his paws out to touch her face. “Welcome to the team, buddy!” Her Pokemon released themselves from their pokeballs to greet their new teammate. She decided to keep him out of his ball and strapped her bag to her front and placed him in it, securing him in such a way that he could see in front of her. She continued the challenge with Drizzile and easily bested her opponents, moving forward to challenge Kabu himself.

She walked into the tunnel, going to the end and adjusted Riolu carefully, starting to get the hang of her nerves and calming down. She blinked then looked to her right, seeing Kabu right next to her. He met her gaze then glanced down, looking at her baby Riolu curiously. “Everything okay?” he asked.

“I just so happened to hatch an egg in there,” she explained, grinning sheepishly. “Must have been all the heat!”

He nodded. “That makes sense. Well, we better head out there!” He jogged lightly to the centre of the pitch as she walked.

“Welcome! The fact that you made it here is quite an accomplishment, but don’t get too cozy just yet. The only way to beat me is to reach your full potential!”

Gloria nodded, fire in her eyes, and they both went to their ends of the pitch. Kabu sent out his first Pokemon, a Ninetails, and she started off with Corvisquire to give Drizzile a rest. She set up a Hone Claws and Kabu started with a Sunny Day, making her frown. _Ugh, he’s gonna make this hard for Drizzile once he has to come out!_

Riolu whimpered slightly and she pat him gently on her head. “Don’t worry buddy, Corvi’s gonna be fine.” She commanded an Air Slash that brought Ninetails to half health, but Kabu let out a strengthened Ember that took a third of Corvisquire’s health. Ninetails was felled after another Air Slash, but Corvisquire didn’t last long after Arcanine came out with Flamethrower in its jaw. She sent out Drizzile, launching a weakened Water Pulse that brought Arcanine to low health. Arcanine’s Intimidate made her wary of using Sucker Punch. _Can’t risk it!_

Arcanine’s Fire Fang brought Drizzile to low health, but he was able to take the fiery beast down. Gloria glanced over at Kabu’s crouched form as he closed his eyes.

“Light that fire and get your mind moving!” He opened his eyes and frowned, sending out his Centiskorch. As he Dynamaxed his Pokemon, the crowd went wild, but Gloria didn’t want to risk it just yet. Luckily, Drizzile was faster than Centiskorch and so managed to land a Torrent-powered Water Pulse, but the Sunny Day had weakened it too much and the following Max Overgrowth took him down.

Gloria did not think Riolu was yet ready for battle, and so she sent out Vulpix and quickly Dynamaxed her. Gloria was not sure if Centiskorch’s ability was Flash Fire, Flame Body or White Smoke, and so she decided to rely purely on a move she trained Vulpix hard to learn while travelling. “Vulpix, Max Mindstorm!”

The attack was strong enough to bring Centiskorch’s health below half, and Kabu was desperate as he ordered a Max Flutterby, but it was not very effective. Gloria finished the match with another Max Mindstorm and sighed in relief when it was all over. She praised her Vulpix and smiled as Riolu celebrated with her, accepting Vulpix’s nuzzles. Kabu fell to his hands and knees, bowing before her.

“Great Pokemon and a great trainer! It’s no surprise that you won!” He stood up and dusted himself off and brought his towel up to wipe his forehead. “Clearly, your talent is far superior to my years of experience.” His words made Gloria blush as she looked down in embarrassment.

“Kabu… thank you!” He smiled kindly at her and shook her hand as he presented her with the Fire badge.

“I’m glad I could battle you today. Do not give up and keep striving to be better! You young folk are the ones who will keep our culture going!”

-x-

Gloria met with Hop outside, who crowded her excitedly and gasped upon seeing Riolu. “I thought I saw something weird! Wow, I can’t believe it hatched!”

“He,” Gloria corrected. “And me too! I didn’t want to leave ‘em behind in the locker room so I brought the egg into the challenge and all that heat sped up the hatching process.” She held Riolu out for Hop to hold. “Wanna hold him?”

Hop grabbed the baby Pokemon and cradled him in his arms. “So cute!” he exclaimed. Riolu barked in joy and swiped his paw playfully in front of Hop. Hop looked ahead at Gloria and congratulated her on the victory.

“That match had me on the edge of my seat, yannow!” Hop’s eyes widened in amazement. “Your Vulpix was awesome! Corvisquire and Drizzile too!”

“Thanks, mate. I reckon we’re ready to head to Hammerlocke, yea?”

“Definitely! Let me heal your team first,” Hop agreed. He handed Riolu back to Gloria, who tried to get him to start standing. Riolu’s legs wobbled slightly but he remained upright, carefully walking one step at a time. She smiled then called him back into his pokeball, figuring she had plenty of time to teach him once they set out into the Wild Area.

They exited the stadium and made for the lift but were stopped when they head a commotion off to the side. It looked like gym officials were pushing a cart covered by a tarp, but the tarp lifted slightly and Gloria saw what appeared to be Pokemon that looked terrified. Gloria glanced at Hop, who was frowning. “You see that?” Hop nodded and they both hid behind the bushes as the officials transported the cells across the city, keeping the tarp taut over the cart.

Looks like they weren’t finished with Motostoke just yet.


	11. Secrets

Hop looked at Gloria desperately. “Hop, we’re not leaving those Pokemon behind,” she reassured him.

“See, this is why you’re the best rival!”

They sneakily followed the officials, who were too busy trying to quiet the Pokemon down to notice them. Other townsfolk glanced at them curiously but said nothing, assuming it was official gym business. But Gloria had a gut feeling it was more than that, and Hop felt the same way.

The officials eventually led them to the docks below on the lower level of the city, which Gloria and Hop had been meaning to explore but never got a chance to. There were large shipping containers stacked in the area, which made hiding a bit easier for them as they peeked around a corner. The officials rolled the cart into a container and unloaded the cells, finally clearly showing the distressed Pokemon as they pawed at the cages. _All Electric types!_ Gloria noticed.

“Hey, Gloria, notice something strange?” Hop asked.

“They’re all Electric type Pokemon?” Gloria tried.

Hop shook his head. “Well, that too, but – look, their uniforms. Those aren’t gym officials. They don’t have the official league symbol.”

Gloria squinted. “Huh, good eyes, mate.” She glanced around. “Looks empty around here. Once they’re busy, we should go release those poor things.”

Hop nodded. “Yea, we just gotta wait for an opening.” The pseudo-officials secured the container with a latch, but no key, and walked off. The pair quickly ran over and undid the latch, quieting the Pokemon as they perked up hopefully.

“We’re gonna get you guys outta here,” Gloria promised. She and Hop commanded Vulpix and Raboot to heat the bars enough for them to be bent aside, and the Pokemon, mainly Electrike, Yamper and Pikachu, leapt out and onto the ground. Hop made sure the area was clear before he led the Pokemon out of the container.

“What now?” he asked.

“Hard to say, since we don’t know where these guys came from. We could release them into the Wild Area but that might do more harm than good,” Gloria replied, frowning. “Maybe Sonia would know?”

“Uhh…” Hop chuckled. “I think it’s too late for us now, they seem to know where they’re going.”

Gloria looked back and saw that the Pokemon had already fled up the stairs, likely causing mayhem in the city. “Well, it can’t be helped, I’d rather that than them trapped in here!” She looked down. “Hey, I think this little guy likes ya, Hop!”

Hop blinked and looked down to see a Yamper tugging at his shoelaces. It wagged its tail when Hop picked it up. “Aw, you’re a cute little thing, arentcha!”

“Hey! What are you two pints doing there?”

Gloria and Hop paled as they looked behind to see a man running straight towards them. “RUN!” They quickly dashed off, Vulpix and Raboot behind them. The Yamper barked and growled at the man chasing them.

“Noted!” Hop said as they hid behind a building. They peeked around the corner and noticed the man looking around before heading up the stairs and further into the city. Gloria sighed in relief, then looked up at the building. “Say, what’s this place?”

Hop read the sign: “Macro Cosmos Research Lab.” He shrugged. “One of Rose’s places?”

Gloria frowned, a sinking feeling in her gut. “Why’s it around all these containers?”

“Coincidence?”

“No, Hop… something’s not right!” She tried to open the door, but it was locked. It looked like it needed a key swipe to open. “There has to be another way in here.”

“Gloria, what are you doing?”

“Hop, we need to see what’s in there. I think the Chairman is hiding more than he’s letting on!”

“Why do you think that? He’s a nice guy!”

Gloria looked pained. “Hop, do you trust me?”

Hop looked affronted. “Of course I do, but this is too much!”

“We need to go inside. I just know I’ll be able to prove it to you.”

Hop sighed. “Fine, okay. Any ideas?” The Yamper in his arms wriggled out of his grip and barked as it leapt onto the ground. It let loose a Thundershock that disabled the key swipe mechanism, unlocking the door. Gloria grinned and Hop praised the pup. They entered the building and looked around. The door opened to a warehouse of sorts, albeit much smaller. Only the emergency lights were on, so Gloria located and activated the main lights, and they both gasped at what they saw. Rows upon rows of Electric Pokemon looking tired and depressed. There was a main unit at the end with tubes and what appeared to be giant battery packs. The set up glowed and pulsated red light somewhat ominously.

“Arceus…” Hop breathed. “I’m sorry I doubted you, mate.”

“I’m sorry that I turned out to be right.” Gloria’s face darkened in anger. “Hop! We have to tell Leon. There’s no way that he knows about this, otherwise he would have done something!”

Hop nodded. “You’re right. We should take some photos to show him as proof. I doubt he’ll be willing to believe us with anything less.”

A cold voice sent a shudder straight down Gloria’s spine. “Silent alarms are such a wonderful thing, no?” She turned around to see the Chairman staring at them from the door, Oleana beside him. He stepped forward and Gloria and Hop stepped back. “Gloria, Hop! Come now. Why the long faces? I thought we were friends.” He chuckled. He eased into a threatening smile. “How about you leave and forget you ever saw anything. Oleana will confiscate your phones and erase any evidence. I would hate to see both of the Champion’s rising stars eliminated so soon from the competition…”

Hop clenched his fists angrily. “Why are you doing this, Chairman? I thought you were helping people and Pokemon!”

“Oh Hop, don’t you see? I am helping people and Pokemon, but you are too young and naïve to understand this.”

“How does this, _any of this_ , qualify as helping?” Gloria demanded furiously, gesturing to the cages.

“Hmm? Have you ever given a thought as to how our cities flourish so beautifully?” Rose smirked, tapping his Dynamax Band. “Have you ever given a thought as to where Wishing Stars come from?”

“What are you doing to these Pokemon?!”

Oleana stepped forward suddenly, her heels clicking on the floor. “The operations of Macro Cosmos are not your concern. Chairman, I recommend we escort these challengers out and wipe their phones, immediately. You have an appointment soon.”

Rose flicked his hair back. “Don’t worry Oleana, this will not take long. It’ll be even quicker if you join me.” Rose held a luxury ball and sent it out, summoning a Copperajah. Oleana released her Salazzle to join him, and both Pokemon stared down the trainers menacingly. Hop and Gloria sent out their Corvisquire, counting on their synergy to help in the battle, but it was no use. The two were too strong for their level and the Corvisquire went down easily.

Gloria sent out Vulpix as Hop sent out Wooloo, and while they tried valiantly, they too went down. Gloria desperately held onto Drizzile’s ball as Rose laughed at them.

“That’s enough, children. It’s time to end this.”

“It’s not over!” Gloria reminded him and set out Drizzile, counting on her partner. Hop exhaled and sent out Raboot. Riolu came out of his ball and stuck close to Gloria, hiding behind her leg. Yamper whimpered behind Hop’s leg as well. Drizzile managed to land a Water Pulse on Salazzle and Hop was quick enough to hit Copperajah with a Flame Charge, but their efforts were in vain as their partners were easily knocked out.

Gloria did not want to send out Riolu. _He just hatched!_ Just as she began to panic, the lights went out, submerging them all in darkness.

“What is going on here?” Rose roared.

“It appears we are experiencing a blackout, Chairman,” Oleana supplied uselessly.

“GAH!” Hop yelled out in fear, gripping Gloria’s shoulder. She felt a tug on her leg and saw Riolu’s bright eyes staring up at her. Though she couldn’t see in front of her at all, she trusted Riolu to lead them out past Rose. She tugged on Hop’s hand.

“Hurry, let’s go! This is our chance to escape.” Hop scooped up Yamper from his ankles and they dashed, Gloria dragging Hop and following Riolu. They managed to slip by the adults and out of the door. As soon as they escaped, they immediately sprinted to the nearest Pokemon centre and shoved their teams at Nurse Joy. They plopped down at a table and slumped over it.

“Holy… shit…” Gloria swore, panting heavily.

Hop leaned back in his chair and tilted his head up, breathing heavily. “I’ve never been so scared in my life! I thought we were done for!” He looked back down at Gloria. “How did we get out of there?”

“It was Riolu!” Gloria answered, smiling proudly. “He has the ability to sense auras. I guess he realized we needed his help. He was able to maneuver us around Rose and Oleana and escape.” She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them. “Not sure why the blackout happened, though…”

“Maybe they had a power surge from their experiments?” Hop suggested.

“Maybe,” Gloria frowned. “Although it seemed a bit too convenient. Oh well, no use dwelling on it, I s’pose. At least we’re safe.”

_Ding!_

They both looked at their phones as they received a notification. Hop gulped when he saw it was from Oleana. How she got their numbers, he didn’t want to know. “You first,” he offered bravely.

Gloria rolled her eyes. “Such a Wimpod.” She opened her email, her face growing paler by every word. “Well, they weren’t bluffing when they threatened to kick us out…”

Hop stood up from his seat. “What! No! Gloria!”

Gloria put her hands up to placate him. “Relax, Hop, we’re not out yet.” She sighed when he sat back down. “But we will be if we try something like that again. Did you manage to get any photos before they found us?”

Hop shook his head. “No, but they don’t know that. We could try telling Lee, but I don’t think he’ll believe us. Our best bet is to see this challenge through to the end and expose the Chairman once we have more proof.”

Gloria sighed and nodded. “Those poor Pokemon…” she whimpered, wringing her hands. Hop glanced away sadly.

“At least we saved those other ones. We did some good today, mate!”

“I guess we did.” She jumped as her phone pinged again. “Just me this time?” she joked. When she saw the message was from Marnie, she brightened immediately. Hop tilted his head curiously.

“I never thought I’d see the day where Oleana made you smile!”

“It’s not Oleana dummy, it’s uh—” Gloria blushed “it’s M-Marnie.”

Hop’s grin grew so wide she thought his cheeks would burst. “Lemme see!” He leapt for her phone but she was quick, keeping it out of his reach. She pushed him back by his face to her palm, squishing his cheek. “Shut up Hop! Go away!”

He relaxed and pouted as he settled. “Aw, you’re no fun.” He looked up when Nurse Joy waved at them and he went to collect their Pokemon. Gloria opened the message.

_Marnie: So, did ya win the badge?_

_Gloria: Sure did! Easy as Berry pie_ _😊_

_Marnie: Grats! Guess I’ll be seeing ya in Hammerlocke soon_

_Gloria: You there already?_

_Marnie: Nah, still training out in the Wild Area_

_Marnie: Gtg chsd by bshrp_

Gloria bit her lip in worry, sending one last message before locking her phone.

_Gloria: Be safe!_

Hop came back with their Pokemon and she clipped them back to her belt. They exited the Pokemon centre and Gloria tilted her head back to soak in the afternoon sun.

“Off we go to Hammerlocke.”


	12. Hop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're a third of the way there! Woohoo! Chapters will be getting much longer from here on out. Hope you all enjoy reading!

The sun lasted no more than an hour as it began pouring rain. It felt almost instantaneous – the second Gloria and Hop stepped out near East Lake Axewell they were assaulted by a curtain of water. They quickly took shelter under a tree and waited for the rain to lighten. Hop was eager to get going but Gloria forced him to wait.

“How do you plan on finishing this challenge if you get sick, dummy?”

“Agh, I guess you’re right,” Hop sighed. “It’s gonna take us three days to get to Hammerlocke and I wanna get going now!”

The rain started to lessen to a light drizzle, then slowed to a pitter patter. Gloria giggled. “Guess you got your wish!”

They left the shelter of the tree and trekked down the slope near Motostoke. They observed the landscape in silent awe; to their right was South Lake Miloch and the Giant’s Seat and to the left and ahead was North Lake Miloch and the Motostoke Riverbank. Although Gloria wanted to explore, she knew they would have to save it for a later date.

They avoided the menacing Garbodor trailing behind them and hurried down the slope, near the Riverbank. Over the bridge, they spotted Snorlax idly lazing about in the shade of a tree. Hop’s eyes lit up! “Oh! A Snorlax! I want to catch it!”

“Let’s go get ‘em.”

As they moved to cross the bridge, they noticed Bede leaning against the railing. He raised his head to look down at them. “Well, look who we have here? I see you’ve managed to fumble your way past Kabu.”

“Speak for yourself,” Gloria muttered.

Hop blinked in confusion. “Who are you?”

Bede scoffed and roller his eyes, hand on his hip. “Bede. Your friend there, _Gloria_ , has been quite the nuisance. I assume you are just as incapable as her? The Champion must have really been off his rocker to endorse the likes of you.”

Hop narrowed his eyes and pointed at Bede. “Who the hell do you think you are to speak about Lee that way?!”

“I have less issue with the Champion, and more with his pathetic little brother who can’t even toss a pokeball properly.”

“Rubbish!” Hop shouted. “You don’t know anything!”

Bede smirked. “Let’s settle this with a battle then, shall we? I can show you just how weak you truly are…”

“You’re on!”

Gloria frowned worriedly as she glanced between Hop and Bede. “Hop…”

“Gloria, don’t worry, I got this. Just sit tight ‘cause this’ll be over real quick!”

“Indeed it will,” Bede chuckled.

The two moved out onto a field near North Lake Miloch, Gloria watching from the sidelines. She sat and held Riolu in her lap. He tugged on her sleeve as he sensed her concern and she tried to reassure him with a smile. “Hop’s strong! He can do this…”

Hop started off strong, taking down Bede’s Ponyta easily with Corvisquire, but the tables turned once Gothorita came out and wiped out both Corvisquire and Yamper. Hop sent out Raboot to finally take down Gothorita, but it was weakened to the point of exhaustion and went down after Bede sent out Hattrene. Wooloo didn’t stand a chance after that.

Hop dropped to his knees in anguish, tears springing to his eyes. Bede loomed over him, condescendingly looking down at him. “I told you that you are weak… You are an embarrassment to the Champion.”

Gloria sprang to her feet and stomped down towards Bede, shaking her fist. “Oi! Get away from him you prick! You won, no need to rub it in!” Beside her, Riolu’s eyes glowed menacingly, picking up on her mood. Bede frowned and crossed his arms.

“I believe my comments are well-earned, as he believed himself to be superior, but clearly was not.”

Hop quickly rose to his feet and ran towards the Giant’s Seat, tears streaming down his face. Gloria began running after him but he suddenly shouted that he wanted to be left alone. Gloria turned on her heel to confront Bede who had already started walking toward Hammerlocke. “You better apologize to him!”

Bede stopped walking to look over his shoulder and scoff. “As if.” He walked away from her as she trembled in rage. Her phone pinged and she looked to see a message from Hop.

_Hoppip: Sorry about that. I just want to be alone right now. I’ll catch up to you in Hammerlocke, k? I need to do some thinking on my own…_

_Gloduo: Hop, you don’t have to be alone. Let’s talk about this!_

_Hoppip: No, Gloria. You go on ahead. I’ll be fine._

_Gloduo: Hop…_ 😥

He didn’t answer after that and Gloria sighed. She tried calling him but his line went straight to voicemail. She pocketed her phone and looked down at her Riolu.

“Guess it’s just me and you, bud.”


	13. Marnie

Gloria peeked out from behind the bush and stared longingly at the sight in front of her. There, just a couple metres away, was the rose of her eye…

Roselia swayed slightly in the sun as her flowers blossomed. By her side, Vulpix yelped quietly in excitement, whimpering when Gloria shushed her. “Are you trying to scare her off?”

Behind her, Corvisquire and Drizzile squabbled over the last of the berries she had scavenged for breakfast while Riolu napped in the shade of a tree. He had grown so strong in the last day, as she devoted most of her time training him in between her travels. It was paying off as he was now able to take on opponents on his own.

Corvisquire screeched angrily and swiped her wings at Drizzile when he unleashed a Water Gun against her beak. The sound alerted Roselia, who started to flee. Gloria leapt out of the bushes and chased after her, Vulpix at her side. “I’ll deal with you two later!” she scolded over her shoulder. She commanded Vulpix to use Will-O-Wisp, followed by Confuse Ray, the Roselia only managing to hit back with a Razor Leaf before she hit herself in confusion. Vulpix was unaffected and swarmed the Pokemon, but Gloria called her back.

“It might have Poison Point, so we have to be careful, Vulpix.” She was confident she could catch it and launched a pokeball. It broke after the second shake and the Roselia shook herself out of the confusion, but still hurt from the burn. “She’s a tough one! Okay, Vulpix, give her an Ember but be gentle.”

Roselia desperately tried to dodge but was nicked at the last second, rolling in the grass. Gloria launched another pokeball at her and was able to successfully capture her this time, grinning triumphantly. “We did it!” Vulpix yelped for joy and she patted her head in praise, rewarding her with berries. She returned to her camp and let out her newest team member, healing her and giving her berries. Her other Pokemon crowded around, eager to greet their new friend. Roselia blinked awake and quietly ate the berries, shyly staring around.

“We’re so happy to have you join us, Roselia. I hope you’ll feel at home with us!” Gloria said cheerfully. Roselia smiled at that and continued to eat. Gloria looked out at the setting sun and sighed. It had only been a couple hours since Hop had left on his own, and she worried about him endlessly. _Hop’s strong, but he has a tendency to overthink…_ _Sorry Leon, Hop needs to come out of this on his own, but it sure would help him to have your encouragement._

She decided to set up camp. At her current pace, she would only need to camp for one more night before she reached Hammerlocke. She could only hope that Hop would catch up to her soon. She squinted at her map on her phone, recognizing her current location as the Bridge Field area. It would be good to set up camp near the small lake, so she opted to do that.

As she poked at her campfire, her Pokemon mingling around her, she thought about Marnie. _I should check on her…_

_Gloria: Hey, did that Bisharp eat you?_

Before Gloria could regret her somewhat rude text, her phone pinged.

_Marnie <3: No, but it came real close to giving me a new haircut. Can’t say it was too happy with me…_

Gloria grinned widely.

_Gloria: I’m sure you would look great no matter the haircut :D_

_Marnie <3: Don’t say something you’ll regret_

_Gloria: No regrets here_ _😉_

_Marnie <3: You still in the Wild Area?_

_Gloria: Yup, camped near the lake in Bridge Field. You?_

_Marnie <3: Been training for a bit in the Dusty Bowl. We might be pretty close, actually_

They spoke well into the night.

-x-

Gloria woke with a start, feeling strangely soothed. She blinked and saw Roselia standing close to her sleeping bag. Gloria’s phone was dead, which didn’t surprise her as she’d been talking to Marnie practically all night until she passed out. Roselia continued to use Aromatherapy and Gloria was confused until she realized that Corvisquire and Drizzile had been bickering again until Roselia calmed them down. “Thank you, Roselia,” Gloria sighed. She got up and packed her things, returning everyone to their balls except for Roselia.

“Let’s get a move on!”

She decided to use her bike to charge her phone as she pedaled. “Poor Rotom must be so exhausted.” Roselia sat on the handlebars as they moved under the bridge, dodging Pokemon until she quite literally ran into an Obstagoon. It roared at her angrily and chased after her, she had no choice but to fight it. She hadn’t had a chance to study Roselia’s moves, but the Pokemon seemed to know what to do as she unleashed a barrage of Razor Leaves and Poison Stings. Eventually, Obstagoon deemed them too troublesome to battle with further and retreated into the wilderness. Gloria sighed in relief and praised Roselia.

“Let’s just walk for now, seems like the bike is a little too risky.” She continued her travels on foot until she reached the Stony Wilderness, where a shiver up her spine alerted her to a Dusknoir breathing down her neck. She sprinted at record speed until she reached the edge of the Dusty Bowl, covering her eyes at the sandstorm whipping around her. Luckily, she had a pair of Go-Goggles (imported from the Hoenn region!) which allowed her to keep her eyes open.

She looked up and spotted the draconic Hammerlocke city gates, hope filling her heart. “We’ll get there by tomorrow afternoon, I hope.” Gloria continued into the Dusty Bowl, slowly making her way towards the Giant’s Mirror. She and Roselia took on numerous Pokemon, training and bonding along the way, until a familiar voice reached her ears (and her heart).

“I knew I heard somethin’ familiar.”

Gloria turned around and practically glowed at the sight of Marnie and her Croagunk. “Marnie! I didn’t think you’d still be here.”

Marnie smiled a little bit wider than usual. “Was huntin’ an Impidimp in the fog by the Stony Wilderness. Plus, I had a feelin’ you’d be here. Couldn’t help but stay a bit longer,” she looked down at Roselia. “Looks like ya made a new friend…”

Gloria beamed proudly down at her Roselia. “She’s a tough one! Pushed back an Obstagoon all on her own.”

Marnie nodded. “That is impressive.” She put her arms behind her back, swaying slightly on the spot, looking almost shy. “Say, wanna do a raid with me?”

Gloria blushed and was glad for the sandstorm. “Uhh... sure! Of course!”

She pointed past Gloria’s shoulder. “There’s an active den that way.” She walked forward and Gloria followed her, their Pokemon mingling curiously behind them. Gloria struggled with what to say, but Marnie seemed a lot calmer, at least externally.

“Where’s your frien’, Hop?” she inquired.

Gloria sighed. “He… well, he’s having a rough time. He lost a battle to a real jerk, so he decided to go off on his own to think. I hope he’s okay.”

“You care ‘bout ‘im,” Marnie remarked.

“Of course, he’s my best mate,” Gloria answered honestly, “we’re practically siblings.”

“Hm.” It could have been a trick of the sandstorm, but Gloria thought she saw Marnie smirk. “There’s the den up ahead.”

Gloria rushed to the pink light and investigated the den. “It’s a Wooloo! Should be a piece of cake, yea?”

Marnie crossed her arms. “In theory.”

“Oh come off it. Let’s give this a try.” Gloria grinned over her shoulder. Marnie sighed and approached the den with her. They leapt in and landed carefully in front of the Dynamaxed Wooloo, Roselia and Croagunk close behind.

“Baahhhh!!”

-x-

“How can something so soft be so vicious,” Gloria deadpanned, a far off look in her eye as she and Marnie sat in front of a campfire.

Marnie giggled. “Hm, I do recall ya bein’ quite confident earlier…” she teased. Gloria laughed and bumped their shoulders.

“Oh hush,” she replied, smiling. They sat in comfortable silence, the fire crackling in the dimming light of the sun. They had traversed the Dusty Bowl and set up camp at the edge of the Giant’s Mirror, which wasn’t too far from Hammerlocke. There was no rain predicted for the night, and so they decided to set up their sleeping bags rather than their tents. Behind them, their Pokemon mingled with each other, Drizzile and Croagunk playing whack-a-Morpeko. Riolu and Scraggy napped together, meanwhile Purrloin and Vulpix played with Roselia as she grew patches of flowers in the grass.

Gloria’s stomach rumbled. She blushed as she stood up. “I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast,” she admitted.

“I reckon we ought to make dinner, then,” Marnie said as she stood up and dusted herself off. “Ya know how ta make curry?”

“Yes, but not as good as Hop.”

“Lucky for you, I’m quite talented,” Marnie smirked.

“I’m sure you are,” Gloria laughed as they began to set up the tools. They went to place the pot over the fire and their hands touched briefly. Gloria snapped her eyes up to look at Marnie, who appeared to be blushing as she withdrew her hands.

“I’ll just b-be cuttin’ the ingredients,” she stuttered softly, moving away. Gloria ignored her own fading blush as she adjusted the pot over the fire and filled it with water. Marnie came over when she was finished and poured the ingredients in. They both fanned the flames to a sufficient height, then stirred the contents of the pot gently but firmly. Their Pokemon, smelling the delicious food, approached them hungrily and noisily voiced their approval.

“Seems like we’re doing a good job!” Gloria commented.

Marnie smiled. “Seems so.” When they were finished, they served their teams before taking a bowl for themselves and sitting close to the fire again. Morpeko hopped into Marnie’s lap as she tried to get more. Marnie teased her Pokemon gently, dropping the act when Morpeko went into Hangry mode. Morpeko scurried away to bug Drizzile and Gloria sighed happily.

“This is delicious.”

“Told ya.”

“I never doubted you.”

Marnie rolled her eyes. “Sarcasm is not your strong suit.”

“I’m not blowin’ smoke up your ass when I’m sayin’ this is the best curry I’ve ever had.” Gloria leaned forward conspiratorially, looking around. “Even better than Hop’s!” she whispered.

Marnie chuckled lightly and put her bowl down. “Thank you.” She stood and offered to take Gloria’s bowl, as she was done, but Gloria refused and stood up.

“No, I got it. It’s only fair!”

“But you helped make the food.”

“No arguments!” Gloria grinned. “I seem to recall someone saying the same to me quite recently…”

Marnie sighed but relented. “Right then.” She watched Gloria work quietly, cleaning up the remains of their dinner and washing out the pot. They called their Pokemon back and changed into their night clothes, tucking into their sleeping bags. They lied on their backs, staring up at the speckled night sky. Marnie was so close to Gloria she could feel her body heat creeping through the fabric into her skin.

“Marnie…” Gloria whispered, turning her head to look at her. Marnie responded in kind, and the sight took her breath away. The dying embers of the campfire reflected in Gloria’s warm brown eyes beautifully. She almost missed what Gloria said next. “I’m really happy to have met you.”

“L-likewise,” Marnie stuttered quietly. Gloria’s smile blinded her with its enthusiasm. She turned to rest on her side. “I’ve never been close ta anyone, ‘cept my brother…” she confided. Gloria turned on her side as well and frowned.

“Why is that?”

“Hmm, well it has t’do with who my brother is and what he does, but also ‘cause I’m not a pleasant twat to be around.”

Gloria sputtered, choking back her laughter. “Marnie!”

“What?” Marnie was smiling slightly, which for her meant she was practically grinning.

Gloria calmed down and reached her hand out to grasp Marnie’s free hand. Marnie watched Gloria’s throat bob nervously. _Am I making her nervous…?_

“I don’t think you’re a twat.” Gloria’s eyes twinkled. “In fact, I think you’re quite the opposite!”

“Ah, so a prick?”

“No!” Gloria laughed again then shuffled closer. “Marnie, you’re wonderful. Don’t ever stop being you.”

Marnie said nothing, couldn’t say anything, but she squeezed Gloria’s hand in appreciation. Gloria squeezed back, her eyelids slowly closing. The last thing Marnie saw before she fell asleep was Gloria’s smile.

The next morning, Gloria awoke alone and cold. She hugged her pillow tighter to her chest. _Was it all a dream…?_

She checked her phone for the time and noticed a couple messages from Marnie.

_Marnie <3: Last night was nice, thank you_

_Marnie <3: I think you’re wonderful, too_

Gloria buried her grin in her pillow, heart squeezing in her chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder... this is a slow burn... but once they hit it off, trust me, it'll get a loooot better :)


	14. Hammerlocke

Gloria continued her travels through the Wild Area, reaching Hammerlocke Hills by noon. Whilst hiding from a Perrserker, she spotted an orange stone glinting in the sunlight and approached it curiously. She recognized it as a Fire Stone when she picked it up and excitement bubbled in her chest when she recalled Kabu’s elegant Ninetails from their battle.

She let Vulpix out and pointed at the stone. “So, Vulpix, ready to become a Ninetails?” The fox pup yelped in excitement, tails wagging. Vulpix put her head forward and Gloria touched the stone to her, shielding her eyes from the bright white line common in evolution. Vulpix’s form changed shape until it finally settled on a stable, longhaired Ninetails. Gloria immediately scanned her with her Pokedex, eager to learn more about her Pokemon. “You’re so beautiful, Ninetails.” Ninetails purred in response and nuzzled Gloria’s legs, happy to have gained a new form.

“Alright, let’s finish the last leg of this trip: to Hammerlocke we go!”

-x-

Gloria looked up at the gaping maw of a dragon used as the entrance to the great city. She exhaled slightly and ascended the stairs, Corvisquire following close behind her. She entered the city and marvelled at the medieval architecture, the grand castles making her feel small. She then looked ahead and her heart dropped down to her stomach when she noticed Rose and Oleana conversing with Bede, her previous encounters with them weighing on her spirit. _I wish Hop were here._

She swallowed her fear and stepped forward, hearing the last bits of conversation of the trio.

“Mr. Chairman, sir,” Bede started, “I’ve been collecting Wishing Stars and Gym Badges as fast as I can!”

Oleana crossed her arms. “Good work, Bede.” She nodded in approval. “I’m glad you haven’t forgotten that it was the Chairman who endorsed you.”

“If I gather enough Wishing Stars, that will help you solve your problems, right sir?” Bede continued. Gloria frowned heavily. _Is Bede in on this rubbish?_

“Oh, it’s not about me,” said Rose, in his soothing voice, “it’s for all of Galar! And we’ll need more than just those stars, we’ll need a powerful Pokemon trainer, too— like the Champion.”

Bede looked slightly offended. “With all due respect, sir, I was able to show Hop just how outclassed he is, and he is one the challengers endorsed by the Champion himself. I will defeat the Champion!”

Rose chuckled heartily. “That’s the spirit, boy!”

Oleana uncrossed her arms. “Challenger Bede, please come with me. I must discuss something with you directly.” Bede followed her unquestioningly into the building behind her.

Suddenly, Rose locked eyes with her and approached her, stroking his beard. “Ah, Challenger Gloria, nice to see you again. I hope you were listening carefully. Now, now, don’t look so upset. Isn’t it nice that you are still able to participate in the League alongside your best mate?” He smirked widely as her frown deepened. “If you would like to see firsthand how Wishing Stars can help the Galar region’s power troubles, I invite you to the Hammerlocke stadium.” He turned and went into the imposing building behind him.

Gloria let out a breath she hadn’t even known she was holding. _Holy shit, I was absolutely terrified… what an awful feeling. I have to keep going, though. I have to get to the bottom of whatever his plans are, with or without Hop._

She crossed the bridge and entered the main lobby of the stadium. Oleana and Rose stood as though waiting for her, and Oleana passed a tablet over to Gloria. She looked down at the schematic. There was what appeared to be a tower with a glowing red orb in the summit. Red arrows pointed down to its base, where she assumed the light blue colouring represented water and the red-orange-yellow gradient represented heating. Yellow arrows pointed to the right into some kind of cable coupled to a transformer, leading into a city surrounded by a dome of light.

“The way this works is quite simple,” Rose began. “Hammerlocke stadium doubles as the city’s energy plant. The summit has what one might call a large Wishing Star that collects Galar particles from the atmosphere generated from the Power Spot and sends them down to the underground power plant. There, the energy is used to heat up water for the steam turbines. They produce the electricity, which is then transmitted citywide. Of course, one of our goals is to eventually be able to power the entire region using this facility. Nothing sinister, there, see?” Rose gestured widely with his arms around him.

“Our ultimate goal is to improve the lives of Galarians by harnessing the power in Wishing Stars. Don’t you agree that this is a worthy cause? We can save many lives with cheaper and cleaner energy!”

Gloria narrowed her eyes. “Then explain the _Pokemon_ ,” she seethed.

Rose seemed unperturbed by her attitude. “We were merely conducting tests on battery power and storage. Sometimes we produce too much energy and we need to store it for a rainy day, otherwise it’s wasted. The fastest way to produce electricity is via Electric-type Pokemon. It was pure convenience and nothing more.”

“That doesn’t excuse the poor treatment of those creatures,” Gloria argued.

“We may argue on the means, but the end justifies them, no? Especially when we save so many lives in the process.” Oleana leaned over to whisper in Rose’s ear. “Ah, I apologize for cutting our debate short, but I must be going before I get another earful from my dear assistant.” He lowered his glasses to look Gloria in the eyes. “You should head to the vault. I’m sure you can learn more about the Darkest Day there.”

He left before she could even say anything and she sighed in irritation. There was no getting through to that man, but at least she had a better idea as to his motives. Even if they were “honourable”, the way he was going about it was totally wrong…

She decided to explore the town a bit before heading to the vault. She rested in the Pokemon centre and sipped her tea.

 _Gloduo: Top of the noon to ya, Hopster! Hope ur doing ok_ ❤️

She didn’t expect a reply, and so she was surprised to hear her phone ping. She read the message as she left the centre and turned left.

_Hoppip: I’m okay. Still in the Wild Area, but I should be in Hammerlocke v soon. Hippowdon are annoying af_

_Gloduo: Right?! Those pricks keep whippin up them damn sandstorms_

_Hoppip: An annoyance, to be sure_

Gloria left it at that, feeling as though Hop wanted to withdraw. She looked up from phone to see she was in a totally different part of town. Up ahead, she saw a little fairy girl standing in the corner. Curious, she approached her.

“Hello!”

“’Ello,” the little girl replied, shy. “Are you lost?”

“Yes, actually,” Gloria giggled. “Can you help me? I’m trying to get to the vault.”

“Oh!” The girl’s eyes lit up. “Are you a challenger?” At Gloria’s nod, she rummaged through her tiny bag and pulled out a letter. “You must be heading to Ballonlea, then, yes? Could you deliver this for me, to a boy named Frank.”

“Sure thing.” Gloria accepted the letter. The girl explained how to get to the vault, pointing down the road. Gloria turned to get a better look and turned back around to thank her.

“Thank… you?” Gloria blinked as she stood alone. She glanced down at the letter, seeing the cursive spelling the name _Frank_. _This letter is real, so I can’t have imagined that…_

Gloria shook her thoughts away and followed the girl’s directions. She bumped into Leon on the way, who greeted her warmly. His face then became troubled as he crossed his arms.

“Hop… do you know what’s gotten into him? He was acting odd when I ran into him just now. He took one look at me, apologized profusely, then dashed off. He’s never apologized for anything!”

Gloria shuffled nervously. “Well, he challenged and lost to Challenger Bede, y’know the one the Chairman endorsed.” At Leon’s nod she continued, “Bede said some things that made Hop doubt his abilities. He’s been down ever since.”

Leon sighed. “A loss in battle can really ruin someone’s confidence, especially with your pride and emotions on the line. Hop is strong, he’ll make it through this, I’m sure!”

Gloria appreciated Leon’s faith in his brother, but she wished he would take a more active role in mentoring Hop. She said nothing though as Leon’s eyes widened in horror when he checked his phone. “Ah! I’m gonna be late for my meeting with the Chairman. See you, Gloria!” He dashed off, probably in the wrong direction, and Gloria shook her head as she continued forward.

She squinted when she noticed a familiar figure standing in front of a set of impressive doors. _Raihan._ As she approached him, he turned to her and checked his phone.

“Ah! You must be Gloria!” he grinned. “If Leon can vouch for you, then you must be strong. But to get to him, you have to get through me, first.”

Gloria smiled politely. “I’m here to see the vault.”

“Ah! A fellow Pokemon Scholar. I like your spirit, kid! Follow me, why don’t you.”

Gloria followed Raihan into the building. He went back to his phone and idly motioned to the stairs. “Vault’s up that way. Oh, and that girl’s here too. Uh, you know. Miss Clever Clogs.”

Gloria frowned in confusion, but she thanked him and went up the stairs. The stairs led to the outdoors, and she followed them around to a tower. Upon entering she found Sonia staring up at a series of tapestries. Sonia turned at the sound of the door opening and closing.

“Oh, you’re here!” Sonia turned around and motioned to the tapestries. “Brilliant, aren’t they? They depict the history of Galar and the creation of the kingdom.” She explained the meaning of the tapestries and how they fit into the story of the Darkest Day. She turned to Gloria and tilted her head.

“So, my fellow scholar, what is the thing that sticks out to you the most in these images?”

Gloria thought for a bit, her eyes skimming over the figures. _That statue in Motostoke only had one person…_

“There’s two heroes?” Gloria tried.

“Bang on! The statue in Motostoke only had one hero. So then, were there two heroes, or just one? And what happened to the sword and shield of the heroes?” She smiled kindly at Gloria. “Thanks for letting me bounce some ideas off you. I think I have some theories on the truth now.” She turned back to examine the tapestries. She looked over her shoulder. “I’ll see ya later, ‘K?”

Gloria smiled. “See ya!” She waved and returned to the main hall where Raihan was waiting for her. He looked up from his phone and grinned.

“What’d you think?”

“It was cool. I really enjoy learning about anything related to Pokemon.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Those tapestries depict the history of Galar and the legend of the two heroes. In a way, Leon is our modern hero.” He straightened up, a serious tone in his voice. “Listen up, Gloria. Your goal is to defeat the unbeatable Leon. So go forth and claim your next badge in Stow-on-Side!”

She nodded and made to exit, but he stopped her. “Hey, let’s take a selfie!” She obliged, grinning lightly and putting up the peace sign as he snapped a photo. “Thanks!” She bid him farewell and made her way to Route 6. She looked up and noticed Hop arguing with two Team Yell grunts who appeared to be blocking the road.

“The hell you mean I can’t pass through? You just let that old lady through like a second ago!”

“Quiet, you! You’ll bloody damn well wake this cute, innocent Silicobra with yer racket!” Gloria hurried to them and placed a hand on Hop’s shoulder. He jumped and turned to face her, smiling.

“Hey Gloria… on your way to Stow-on-Side, yea?” At Gloria’s nod, he continued, “me too, but these pricks won’t let any challengers through. Mind lending me a hand right quick to take ‘em on?”

She squeezed his shoulder. “Sure thing, mate.” She cupped her hands around her mouth. “Oi! Move or you’ll get ploughed!”

The grunts sputtered in indignation. “We’ll see ‘bout that!” Hop took one of the grunts while she took the other. He sent out a Zigzagoon and she sent out Drizzile. Water Pulse and U-Turn took care of their foe quick, and Drizzile shuddered as a bright white light shone around him. Gloria watched in amazement as her oldest Pokemon reached his final form. Inteleon’s keen eyes closed as she touched his head in pride. “Way to go, buddy!”

Just as she finished her sentence, Hop defeated the grunt, though just barely if the look on his face meant anything. The grunts took off in a hurry. He sighed and turned to look at his oldest friend, mustering up a smile.

“Gloria – you and Inteleon were brilliant!” He paused. “Bede really messed me up when he said those things. I can take a loss, you know that, but his talk really got to me, y’know.”

“Hop…”

“When he brought up Lee, I just couldn’t handle it. If people think I’m weak, then they’ll think he’s weak, too! I just can’t handle that, dragging Lee’s name through the mud.”

“Hop, no, it’s not like that at all –” Gloria tried, but Hop interrupted her angrily.

“What do you know Gloria?! You’ve never had siblings, you don’t know what it’s like to have someone so high up… I just want to reach him, make him proud.” Hop’s eyes filled with tears. “Sorry, Gloria, I have to figure this out on my own!” He ran ahead on Route 6, leaving Gloria in the dust.

_Leon, you bloody idiot!_

Gloria meant to chase after Hop but she was interrupted by a voice from behind her. She turned to see an old lady wearing a fur coat, a sunhat and leaning against an upturned umbrella used as a cane. “You are the challenger, yes? Endorsed by Leon?” At Gloria’s nod, she continued. “My name is Opal. I’ll be keeping my eye on you, child.” Gloria blinked as the woman slowly walked in front of her.

Gloria closed her eyes and exhaled slightly.

_Stow-on-Side, here we come…_


	15. Stow-on-Side

Gloria trekked through the dry and rocky terrain of Stow-on-Side, filling her Pokedex and battling more trainers. She and Inteleon hiked over the cliffs, taking occasional water breaks due to the intense sun and heat. It seemed to be getting cooler as the sun began to set, though not by much. Gloria looked up as she wiped the sweat from her brow, finally seeing the Stow-on-Side arch and the nearby Diglett statues.

“We’re almost there!” Inteleon croaked in reply and she smiled. “C’mon, we’ll get you into a nice cold bath when we arrive.”

They continued their arduous hike until they finally stood in front of the Diglett formation. “What do you think this means?” Inteleon sniffed. “I agree, not very interesting.” She turned and they crossed under the arch, wowing at the simple but gorgeous architecture. She eyed the street market enviously. “We are picking something up from there before we leave!”

She entered the Pokemon centre and asked Nurse Joy to take special care of Inteleon, taking a seat after at the café bar. The barista smiled and passed her a cool glass of lemonade, which she downed gratefully. She checked her phone but saw nothing from Hop.

_Gloduo: Hey Hop, I’m in Stow-on-Side, in the Pokemon Centre. Where are u?_

_Hoppip: By the gym – meet me there, yea?_

Gloria stood when Nurse Joy called her name and she picked up her team. She decided to head to the market before meeting up with Hop, scouring through the assortment of objects. There were antiques, strange foods, carved sculptures made of wood and clay and metal trinkets. A merchant was offering to sell a Scope Lens for 5,000 Pokedollars but Gloria’s eyes narrowed at the price.

“Five thousand? A bit too steep, yea?”

The merchant sighed. “Don’t like it? Move along. Someone else will buy it.”

Gloria snorted. “Like who? The Champion?” She leaned forward. “You and I both know this isn’t worth more than two thousand.”

The merchant frowned. “Oh, now you’re just insulting me. More than half the price reduced? I don’t think so.”

“You think it’s worth half?”

The merchant grit his teeth. “Four thousand.”

Gloria examined her nails. “Three thousand, take it or leave it.”

“Fine! Just leave, you’re holding up my other customers.”

Gloria grinned, pocketing her winnings. “Pleasure doing business with ya.” She stopped by other stands and picked up some of the strange fruits and sweets for later. She looked towards the stadium and saw Hop sitting on the stairs and rushed to meet him.

“Hop! Hey!” she ran up to him, showing her spoils. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself, heh…”

Hop grinned, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I fully expected that from you, mate.” He stood and dusted himself off. “Let’s have a battle!”

Gloria’s smile dropped slightly. “Eh? Now?” At Hop’s nod she dropped her arms. “Did ya challenge the gym yet?”

Hop hesitated. “I’ve been sitting here, waiting for you,” he admitted quietly. He glanced off to the side. “I’m not ready to take on the gym just yet. I need to battle you to be sure I’m ready!” He looked her in the eyes, determination blazing through, and she found she could not say no.

“Alright…” Gloria agreed, albeit reluctantly. She put her things away and held out Riolu’s pokeball, expecting Wooloo to be first. To her surprise, Hop sent out a Cramorant. _Hmm… he must have added it to his team! Oh well, I can work with this._

Riolu readied his battle stance and Hop grinned. “The little guy’s lookin’ strong!”

“You’re in for quite the surprise, mate! Thunder Punch!” Riolu’s fist erupted in sparks as he dashed forward and launched a direct hit into Cramorant’s gut. The Pokemon squawked and pushed itself back, its health dangerously low. Hop flinched and clenched his fist.

“Cramorant! Drill Peck!”

“Steady, Riolu!”

Riolu dug his feet into the ground and put his palms out, catching the attacking Pokemon midair by its beak.

“No way!”

Gloria grinned. “Rock smash!” Riolu slammed the Pokemon into the ground, knocking it out. _He’ll send his Corvisquire out next, I bet._ She was once again shocked when out came a Toxel. _Maybe he’s just saving him for the final blow?_

She had Riolu build up his strength with Work Up and Hop ordered Toxel to get close and use Nuzzle. Though it imparted low damage, it still paralyzed Riolu, slowing him down slightly. Toxel used Acid, causing Riolu to cry out in pain and jump back to get away.

Riolu countered with a Rock Smash, lowering Toxel’s health low. Hop grinned. “Okay, Toxel, use Flail.”

“Riolu, you can take that! Hold on!” Riolu’s energy almost depleted, he stayed firm, breathing heavily. “Now use Counter!” Toxel went down and Riolu followed close behind. The young trainers praised their Pokemon before sending out their next one.

Gloria sent out Roselia just as Hop sent out a Silicobra. Roselia’s powerful Razor Leaf made quick work of it, scoring a critical hit, and Hop sent out Raboot to deal with Roselia. She used Toxic, badly poisoning his Pokemon, but all it took was one Flame Charge to take her down. Raboot suddenly began to glow as his form changed and roared when the light cleared to reveal Cinderace. Hop pumped his fist in celebration.

“All right, way to go buddy!”

“It’s not over yet Hop!”

Gloria sent out Inteleon to face Cinderace and the two rival Pokemon stared each other down. Hop commanded a Double Kick, but Inteleon beat him with a Sucker Punch for the first move. The next Snipe Shot took Cinderace down. Hop grunted as he sent out Yamper.

“Oh, I remember this little guy!” Gloria smiled. “Nice to see you again, bud!” The Yamper barked and wagged his tail in recognition, but unfortunately stood no chance against Inteleon’s Snipe Shot and Sucker Punch. Hop recalled his Pokemon and closed his eyes, crossing his arms.

“You’re too good, Gloria. We’ve been on this journey the same amount of time, but you’re on a whole ‘nother level,” Hop commented sadly. He heard footsteps thundering towards him and snapped his gaze up to Gloria’s wild eyes. “W-what…”

“Where. Is. WOOLOO!” Gloria demanded. “And Corvisquire! Where did you put them?” She shook Hop as he stammered out a reply.

“I wanted to… to try something different. Yannow? Just… I wasn’t good enough to fight Bede. So I thought maybe changing my team would help. But, it obviously didn’t…” Hop trailed off, frowning.

Gloria let him go and pinched his cheek. He yelped back in pain. “So you just abandoned your first Pokemon? Hop!”

“I didn’t abandon them!” he yelled, rubbing his cheek. “I just put them in the PC for a bit.”

“But why? You don’t think they’re strong enough?”

“Yes! No!” Hop replied quickly. He slouched slightly. “I don’t know! I thought… I thought this is what I was supposed to do.” He looked up when Gloria gripped his shoulder.

“Hop, Bede is a prick, right? He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Yes, you lost _one_ battle against him. One! How does that define your worth as a trainer? How does that mean that you or Leon are weak?” She smiled at him in reassurance. “Hop, I doubt Bede would have helped me free those Pokemon back in Motostoke. Sure he might have some talent as a trainer… but you have a heart of gold, and your Pokemon see that. They try so hard for you! You can’t back down now, you promised them you would make them Champions! You have to keep trying, for their sake.”

Hop’s eyes watered and his lip quivered, then suddenly he burst into tears and threw himself at Gloria. “You’re right! I feel so awful. I shouldn’t give up on them… they d-definitely d-didn’t g-give up on m-m-me!” He sobbed for a little bit longer and Gloria gripped his forearms as she led them to a stone bench. She noted the darkened sky and high moon. She waited patiently as he cried.

Soon, Hop’s sobs subsided, but he sniffled occasionally. He kept his face hidden in her shoulder. She patted his head. “You good, mate?”

“Yea,” Hop smiled. “That felt real good, cryin’ like that. I know I have some issues with how I always compare myself to Lee, and how I always feel like I should be better than him. I’m trying to work on it, I really am. I don’t think I’m totally over it yet, but I feel like I can get there.” He straightened and flashed his million-watt smile. “Thanks Glo.”

“Anytime. We should head to a hotel and get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow!”

Hop nodded and pointed over Gloria’s shoulder. “There’s an inn over there. The gym challenge is a little different, but we can talk about that tomorrow.”

-x-

Hop and Gloria stood in front of the gym, Hop shaking out his nerves by hopping in place. “I’ve never heard of a gym having multi-battles before. How does that work for people who travel alone?”

“They either wait for someone or get assigned a gym trainer,” Hop explained. “Either way, it is more difficult than regular challenges because it involves more strategy.” He stretched his arms out. “Actually, Circhester also has a multi battle format, too. Lee told me that one took a real long time to set up because of the Leaders’ drama.” He put his hands on his hips. “Shall we go in?”

The pair changed into their gym uniforms inside and signed up for the challenge. They each registered two Pokemon, Gloria choosing Inteleon and Ninetails and Hop choosing Corvisquire and Snorlax, the latter of which he had caught in the Wild Area after parting with Gloria but had hidden away due to his insecurity. The gym official led them into a room not unlike a dojo, with training mats and workout equipment lined along the wall. The referee approached them.

“Welcome to the Stow-on-Side gym. The format here is a little unorthodox because we have two Leaders here. You will participate in a mini-tournament against the gym trainers, and work your way to the finals match against the Gym Leaders. Make sense?” At their nod, he waved for the first match to begin.

The pair worked well together, covering each other’s weaknesses and supporting their strengths. Their strategy mainly consisted of building attacks off each other, devastating any defenses their opponents put up. They made it to the final round at record speed, crushing all opposition. They were led to the tunnel leading to the stadium. Hop exhaled slowly and Gloria tapped her foot impatiently.

“Gloria, let’s get ourselves our next badge!”

They went to meet their opponents at the centre of the pitch. Gloria recognized Allister, the younger one, but not the short silver-haired girl next to him. She hadn’t been at the opening ceremony. She showed zero emotion as she introduced herself and her younger brother. Gloria didn’t know if that was her true personality or just what she showed in public. The pair were probably the youngest gym leaders in the region, so maybe she had to act this way to be taken seriously. Beside her, Allister stared at her silently, his purple eyes seemingly glowing through the eye sockets of his white mask. Gloria shuddered slightly. _Creepy…_

“Hello, my name is Bea. I am a Fighting-type expert. My partner and brother is Allister, the Ghost-type expert. Welcome to the Stow-on-Side Stadium. As you know, you will participate in a multi-battle match against us. Should you manage to best us, you will be awarded the Soul Badge.” Bea let out a tiny smirk. “Hope you came prepared to lose.”

Hop laughed and gave her a thumbs down. “In your dreams, mate!”

They split and went to their sides on the pitch. Gloria and Hop sent out their first Pokemon, Corvisquire and Ninetails. Gloria’s strategy was to wear down the Fighting type with burns and Corvisquire would assault the Ghost types with Dark type attacks. Bea and Allister matched them with Mimikyu and Pangoro. _Mimikyu’s Disguise ability is a little troublesome, but Hop can handle it._

“Ninetails, Will-O-Wisp on Pangoro!” Pangoro stayed firm and took the hit and used Work Up on Bea’s command. Hop had Corvisquire prepare with a Hone Claws but Allister nullified it with Baby-Doll Eyes. Gloria frowned. _Guess our first strategy with Power Trip is a no-go with Mimikyu… and I can’t use Psyshock on Bea’s Pangoro! Guess we’ll have to switch targets._

“Hop!” Gloria said. He flicked his eyes to her and nodded when he saw her tap her thigh. The two rolled across the field, confusing the crowd and the Leaders in front of them. Gloria called out a Shadow Ball from Ninetails, which quickly took down Mimikyu’s Disguise. Mimikyu went on the defensive, using Double Team to surround Ninetails. Hop ordered a Drill Peck against Pangoro, which did significant damage until Bea had it use Slash, landing a critical hit. Corvisquire landed hard on the terrain, but got back up slowly, glowing white. Hop watched in awe as Corvisquire spread his wings and crowed loudly, growing larger and stronger. When the glow faded, Corviknight stood proudly and flapped his wings to taunt Pangoro.

“Looks like you have some catching up to do, Gloria!” Hop joked, he turned to his Pokemon. “Let’s finish this!”

“Way ahead of you! Firespin!” Allister’s Mimikyu copies fell to the Firespin, the real one getting trapped in the fiery twister. He used Dazzling Gleam, which knocked Ninetails down to half health, but by the next turn Mimikyu had fainted from one last Shadow Ball.

Corviknight soared through the sky and flew straight into Pangoro with Drill Peck. The resulting stress knocked both Pokemon out, but Hop had never been prouder.

Bea and Allister shared a look as they summoned their final Pokemon. As though through telepathy, Allister had understood what Bea wanted and immediately Dynamaxed his Gengar. Machamp dug his feet into the ground in preparation. Hop sent out Snorlax, and when Gloria nodded, Dynamaxed him. With his Normal-typing, he’d be able to resist any Ghost-type attacks.

Gloria ordered Ninetails to rush Machamp with a Psyshock, but Bea used Protect at the last minute. Machamp smirked down at Ninetails from behind the barrier, and she growled in return. Before she could step back, Machamp dropped the shield and reached forward to deliver a devastating Submission attack, knocking her out. Gloria sent out Inteleon, nervous at the prospect of losing, but she trusted her Pokemon and she trusted Hop. Above her, Gengar and Snorlax traded blows, practically sumo wrestling.

“Snorlax, use Max Darkness!” The hit dropped Gengar’s health significantly, but he still had enough vitality to unleash a Max Knuckle attack. Hop grit his teeth. _Just gotta keep him busy long enough for Gloria to do her thing…_ “Stay on him buddy!”

Machamp chased after Inteleon as he evaded the Pokemon’s blows. Machamp used Dynamic Punch but missed, giving Inteleon an opening to use Snipe Shot. “Machamp, now!” Bea called out.

Machamp used Low Sweep, tripping Inteleon and slowing him down. Gloria desperately commanded Inteleon to move, and he did at the last second, dodging a knockout punch that split the terrain. Gloria locked eyes with Bea and narrowed her gaze. Bea smirked and crossed her arms. “You won’t beat us that easily!” she called out.

“Maybe not easily, but we _will_ defeat you! Inteleon, use Bounce!”

Bea blinked in confusion. _Use what now?!_

Inteleon crouched, winding himself up, then sprayed water down and away from him as he soared up into the air. He aimed for the top of Snorlax’s head. Below him, the crowd watched in awe. Bea panicked and ordered Machamp to use Protect, but Gloria’s target had not been Machamp. She commanded a Sucker Punch to Gengar, the momentum from falling from so high knocking the Dynamax Gengar right out. Snorlax broke straight through Machamp’s shield with a Max Strike, knocking him out.

The crowd went wild after that stunt as Inteleon landed softly and Snorlax returned to his normal form. The sibling duo recalled their Pokemon and approached Gloria and Hop as they shared a high five and hugged their Pokemon. “Congratulations. That was an amazing battle,” Bea said, smiling. Allister nodded as he swung his arms back and forth.

“We are more than happy to present you with this badge as proof of your victory here.” Bea paused. “And uh… we’d like you to join us for lunch, if possible.” Gloria thought she saw a light blush but decided she must have imagined it. She stepped forward to shake hands with the two.

“Sounds good!” Gloria and Hop accepted the invitation. They agreed to meet in front of the stadium after showering and changing in the locker rooms. Gloria and Hop accompanied Bea and Allister to a quaint diner on the far side of town, overlooking a sparkling waterfall. The friends sat across from the siblings and chatted as they ate their food.

“How long have you two been gym leaders?” Gloria asked, digging into her salad.

“I’ve been here for about five years, Allister just started this year. I’m helping him get a hang of things so that he can take over in a few years. These seasons don’t last very long so it will be a while before I feel he’s ready,” Bea said, sipping her water. Allister slumped slightly in his seat, and even Gloria could tell that he was pouting behind his mask.

“Ah, so that’s why you folks have the multi-battle system in place!” Hop said. Bea nodded.

“It’s the best way for him to gain experience and for me to teach him. Eventually, he’ll be running battles on his own and I’ll just watch.”

“Well,” Gloria said, smiling and turning to Allister, “I think he’s a very strong and talented trainer. He’ll be able to take over with no problems at all.”

Allister twiddled his thumbs. “T-thank you…”

“Any idea why Circhester is like that too?” Hop inquired, taking a bite out of his tuna melt. Bea shrugged.

“Not sure, all I know is Gordie hates it and Melony loves it. That says it all, don’t you think?”

Before Hop could answer, what sounded like a large explosion boomed through the air. Gloria and Hop shared a look before standing up, Allister and Bea following them. Bea had an intense look as she looked toward the waterfall.

“I think I know where that came from. Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really couldn't decide between Allister or Bea, so I kept both! Hope you like this little twist :)


	16. Bede

The four trainers rushed up the stairs to the left of the stadium. The sounds of the nearby waterfall faded as Gloria’s heart pounded in her ears. _Is it Rose?! Arceus, I hope not…_

They reached the top of the stairs and Gloria gasped in shock. Bede stood proudly in front of a heavily damaged mural with a very familiar Copperajah in front of him. Sonia stood behind him, red-faced and yelling at him to stop. Bea stepped forward and roughly pulled Bede back.

“What do you think you’re doing, Challenger?! I ought to have your participation revoked for this act!” she shouted. Gloria had never expected this kind of outburst from Bea, but she supposed these were drastic circumstances. Bede pulled away and shot her a dirty look.

“You are beneath me, remember? I so easily crushed you and your pathetic brother with my powerful Pokemon. Do not speak to me as though we are equals.”

Bea’s face reddened with anger and looked like she was going to punch Bede. She would have, too, if Gloria didn’t pull her back. “Hey, relax. We got this. You have someone more important to worry about.” Gloria looked behind at Allister, who could have passed off as aloof, but she knew in her gut he was devastated from what Bede said. He needed reassurance otherwise he would spiral like Hop.

Bea clenched her jaw but nodded, crouching near Allister to soothe him. Gloria stepped forward to challenge Bede but Hop put his arm out. “No, Gloria, I got this. Let me take him,” he pleaded, looking into her eyes. Gloria found it hard to turn him down and nodded.

“I believe in you, Hop.”

Bede smirked. “I am more than happy to crush your dreams, weakling. Prepare yourself.”

Hop took a deep breath. “You don’t have to act so tough all the time, Bede. I understand why you do these things, but you don’t have to do all this to please the Chairman. Just being you should be enough!”

Bede’s eyes widened in a mix of shock and anger. “How dare you! Don’t you dare assume you know anything about the Chairman and I.” He sent out his first Pokemon, Duosion, and Hop sent out Snorlax. Duosion went down after one Crunch but Hop remained stone-faced.

“Bede, stop…”

Bede flinched and clenched his fists. “It’s not over yet.” He sent out Gothorita and whittled Snorlax’s health to a quarter, but it was not enough and Gothorita also went down. “This can’t be happening! I beat you!”

Hop said nothing but recalled Snorlax, sending out Cinderace instead to face Ponyta. He unleashed a devastating Pyro Ball that weakened Ponyta, but it held on and knocked Cinderace to half health with a Psychic. He finished it with a Quick Attack and took on Hattrem easily with another Pyro Ball and Quick Attack combo. Bede dropped to his knees in defeat. “H-how…”

“Bede…”

“No! I refuse to accept this! I must help the Chairman at all costs. I was chosen by him, I am part of the elite!” Bede turned to the mural, seeing the gaping hole he made in the wall. “I must collect more Wishing Stars!”

“That’s enough, Bede.” Chairman Rose’s voice sounded out over the group, cold but calm, soothing but sharp. He came up the stairs with Oleana and two gym officials behind him. He sighed. “What have you done here, Bede? Why did you do this?”

Oleana crossed her arms, an unimpressed glare on her face. “Hmph, to think you used the Chairman’s Copperajah for such careless reasons…”

Bede stood up frantically. “To please you, sir! To help you in your goals –”

“I didn’t ask you to do this!” Rose interrupted harshly. He calmed down and sighed. “Bede, I am truly disappointed in you. Yes, I found you when you were alone, when you were nothing, and helped you… even when you were young, I could tell you had talent. But this…! This is not what I wanted.” Rose shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I am going to have to disqualify you from the League.”

Gloria met Hop’s eyes, raising her eyebrows in shock. _This is how you cut loose ends._

“W-what?! N-no, Chairman, sir, p-please!” Bede stammered, tears in his eyes. “Of all the ways to sort this out, why are you choosing the worst possible option?”

“Bede, please hand over those Wishing Stars to me. You will be escorted to Hammerlocke where we will discuss your punishment further.” Oleana approached him with her hand out. The gym officials moved to grab Bede but he darted away from them.

“Don’t touch me!” He ran down the stairs, in the direction of Hammerlocke.

Hop hesitated for a second, then ran after Bede. “Gloria! I’ll catch up with you later. I have to do this.”

The gym officials moved to give chase but Rose stopped them. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of him later. Please return to your duties.” They left the scene and Rose turned to Gloria, Sonia and the Gym Leaders. “I’m sorry you had to see that. Though I would rather not lose challengers for any reason, we must uphold the values of sportsmanship among competitors.” He left with Oleana in tow.

Sonia turned to Gloria and sighed. “I was hoping to get your opinion on this mural, but the damage done is too much to make anything out of it.” She looked ahead as the Gym Leaders approached them. “You two wouldn’t have any interesting interpretations of these drawings, would you?”

Bea shook her head and Allister shrugged. “W-we grew up here… n-never really thought about it,” Allister said quietly.

Bea turned to Gloria and smiled. “Thank you for your help with this. I could have taken care of it easily, but I don’t think it would have looked great in front of the Chairman.”

“It’s no problem—” Gloria’s eyes widened. “Watch out!” She leapt forward and tackled Bea to the ground, narrowly avoiding a large chuck of stone from crushing them. The mural had begun to break apart, no longer able to support itself from Copperajah’s initial impact. Sonia quickly pulled Allister back and stood in front of him protectively as Bea and Gloria rushed to get away from the rest of the crumbling wall.

The two trainers stumbled forward on their knees, barely avoiding getting crushed by the last of the mural. Gloria accepted Bea’s hand gratefully then turned to Sonia when she gasped. The assistant professor pointed at what appeared to be two statues of wolf-like Pokemon. One held a sword in its mouth, the other a shield in front of its face. Sonia approached the statues, staring for a long time, then finally appeared to have a eureka moment as she turned to Gloria excitedly.

“Gloria! Though the circumstances behind this aren’t great, this is an amazing turn of events!” She gestured behind her. “What does this tell you about Galar’s legends?”

Gloria looked at the statues, recognizing that there were two Pokemon… “The heroes were actually Pokemon?”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking! I need to study this more, but these ruins must be telling the truth, more than those tapestries and monuments at the Budew Drop Inn.” She looked over at Bea’s and Allister’s shocked faces. Well, she assumed Allister was in shock since Bea’s jaw dropped.

“Uh, I hope you two can take care of this mess,” Sonia giggled. “Gloria! You should be on your way to Ballonlea, right? Good luck in your challenge!”

Gloria nodded and checked her phone, deciding to head out now to get there before nightfall. “See ya!” She waved to Bea, Allister and Sonia, who waved back. She made her way to the Glimwood Tangle, her mind on Hop.

_I hope he’s doing okay…_

-x-

Hop never thought he would be in this situation. With Gloria, sure, maybe to comfort her after a loss, but with someone he considered a bully? Never. But Hop knew in his heart that Bede was just confused, and ashamed, and maybe a little too prideful for his own good. He knew more than anyone how crushing disappointment could be.

Bede was hiding out under the shade of a tree on Route 6, knees pulled up to his chest and staring out across a nearby pond. Hop exhaled slowly as he approached him quietly. “Hey…” he mumbled.

Bede looked up at him sharply, his eyes rimmed red, then turned his gaze away, clenching his fists. “Go away.”

Hop shook his head. “No.” He sat next to Bede, staring out at the pond. “I’m not going to leave you alone like this.”

Bede laughed harshly. “You really are pathetic…”

Hop chuckled a bit. “Maybe. But I know how you feel.” He paused. “When we fought that first time, and you said those things to me, I honestly thought I’d never be able to battle again.” He smiled ruefully. “You really know how to get to people’s darkest thoughts.”

Bede said nothing, but Hop could tell he was listening. “Gloria snapped me out of it. I don’t know what I would do without her. She’s always there for me when I need someone, and that’s when I realized that you don’t have someone like that, right, Bede?” Hop paused when Bede started sniffling and looked over to see tears streaming down his face. Hop shuffled closer and put his arm around Bede.

Hop watched the sun set over the horizon and wondered if Gloria had made it to Ballonlea yet. He figured he ought to be getting there to get his Badge soon but would probably have to start his travels in the morning. The Glimwood Tangle was notoriously treacherous.

Bede straightened his legs out and Hop pulled away, looking at the boy beside him. Bede had stopped crying but was looking down, seemingly deep in thought. “You’re right, I don’t have anyone,” Bede whispered, the implication clear as day. “I thought I had the Chairman, but I think that’s over now. Or at least, it was never what I thought it was. I really looked up to him, he was like… my father.”

Hop’s eyes softened. “Bede…”

“I don’t have anything anymore. No goal, no drive, nobody to tell me how proud they are of me. I truly am the lowest scum.”

“Bede, no, that’s not true.”

“It is though, isn’t it? I am an awful person.” Bede pursed his lips. “I was awful to Gloria, and to you…”

“Gloria’s a bit of a riot, but she’ll come around and forgive ya,” Hop reassured him, grinning. “You shouldn’t worry about her.”

Bede hummed noncommittally and looked over at Hop. Hop’s breath caught in his throat as the dying light of the sun reflected off the boy’s violet eyes. “Have you defeated the Stow-on-Side gym yet?” Bede asked.

Hop coughed. “Yea, me an’ Gloria took ‘em down today. She’s off to Ballonlea now, I’ll probably head out in the morning.”

Bede nodded. “I’ll probably head back to Hammerlocke and see what the Chairman has in store for me. I don’t want to run away from what I deserve.”

“Bede, what you did was awful, true, but you had good intentions at heart, right?”

“I was only doing what the Chairman asked, at least that’s what I thought he wanted,” Bede frowned.

“What did the Chairman want, exactly?” Hop asked. He hoped Bede knew what Rose’s plans were, at least so he could tell Gloria, but at the same time hoped he knew nothing. If Bede knew Rose’s plans, then he was definitely part of his inner circle and possibly a threat.

“All he wanted from me was to gather Wishing Stars. He said it was to help with Galar’s future but didn’t explain what that meant. I am admittedly at a loss as to his true intentions, but I know he means well. He has done so much to boost this region. His company is single-handedly responsible for providing energy to all Galarians. And he has the Pokemon League set up for Galar to achieve its highest potential as a battling hub.”

Hop thought Bede’s speech was a little bullshit, but said nothing, instead choosing to shrug. “Dunno, mate, it’s all the same to me. All I know about Rose is he endorsed big bro and that he calls all the shots.”

“The Chairman is an amazing, selfless person… I have to help him.” Bede said weakly. Hop sighed and stood up. _I can’t tell him what Gloria and I saw just yet. It would break him, if he even believes me._

“Let’s head back to Stow-on-Side for now. We can tackle our problems tomorrow when we get a good night’s sleep.” He held a hand out to Bede, who hesitated but accepted the help, standing and looking at Hop. He squeezed the hand in his before dropping it, casting his gaze aside.

“Thank you.” He started the walk back to Stow-on-Side, oblivious to Hop’s inner turmoil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bede's redemption will be different in this version, as I do want him and Hop to eventually get together. He will also make more appearances in this version than in the games.


	17. The Glimwood Tangle

Gloria was pretty sure she’d seen this glowing mushroom before. “What do you think, Corvisquire?” she asked her partner when she landed atop the fungus. Corvisquire crowed loudly, flapping her wings. “Yea, me too. I think we’re lost.” She checked the map on her phone, sighing irritably when she saw she had no signal. “Rotom, why can’t I see the damn map?”

Her phone buzzed and floated in front of her. “Bzzt – there is a lot of energy interfering with the signal.” She went to grab it but blinked when her hand swiped at air. She looked up and saw a little pink goblin waving her phone in an arc. The Impidimp stuck its tongue out to taunt her.

“HEY!” Gloria yelled, “give that back! Corvisquire, Air Slash!” Corvisquire quickly caught up to the Pokemon and attacked it, the phone flying out of its hands and landing in the grass. Just then, a Morgrem walked by and looked down. It looked back up at Gloria who glared at it, then looked back down.

It grabbed the phone and ran away.

“STOP!” she yelled. “Corvisquire, let’s get it before it gets away!” Corvisquire tried to fly after the Pokemon, but the woods were too thick for her to make any meaningful progress. The Morgrem cackled as it went deeper into the forest. Gloria let out a battle cry as she ripped through the shrubbery and stumbled into a clearing, running into a group of Impidimp. The Morgrem sat on a makeshift throne, the phone held in its grasp like a trophy. Corvisquire landed by her side and tilted her head. Rotom buzzed for help desperately. _Okay, Gloria… think…_ Suddenly, she had an idea.

She pulled out the Scope Lens she had purchased from that seedy merchant and held it out in front of her. The Morgrem leaned forward curiously, then jumped off its throne, approaching her cautiously. It grumbled slightly and Gloria watched as an Impidimp grumbled back, its tone seemingly surprised. The Impidimp walked toward her and put its hand out. Gloria swallowed nervously and gave it the item. The Impidimp then walked back and placed the item on its head, the other Impidimp laughing. The Morgrem growled and they stopped. It snatched the Scope Lens and compared it with the Rotom phone, appraising it. Gloria held her breath as she watched it come to a decision.

It dropped her phone in the grass and walked away, wearing its prize proudly. Gloria rushed to her phone and clutched it, sighing in relief. When she looked up, the Impidimp had surrounded her as though preparing to attack. _Crap, I should’ve known that was too easy!_ “Corvisquire!”

Her Pokemed cawed as she unleashed a series of powerful Fury Attacks on their opponents. The Impidimp kept attacking until the Morgrem came back, wearing its Scope Lens like some villain from a spy movie. Corvisquire spread her wings to appear bigger but Morgrem seemed to gain confidence from its held item. It used Swagger to enrage Corvisquire, who then flapped her wings in confusion and hurt herself.

Gloria moved to help her Pokemon but was kept in place by the Impidimp who held her arms back. One of them grabbed her pokeball belt and held it out of arms’ reach. Corvisquire took another hit from Morgrem and stumbled forward. “Corvisquire, don’t give up!”

The white glow shone over the whole clearing, blinding Gloria and the Pokemon who shielded their eyes. Corvisquire evolved into Corviknight and towered over everything near her. She straightened gracefully and shook herself out of her confusion, launching a devastating assault on the Morgrem, knocking it out. The other Impidimp quickly scurried off, dropping her pokeball belt. They carried their fainted leader away into the wilderness.

“Holy shit,” Gloria breathed leaning back against a tree, clutching her pokeball belt to her chest. “That was too close.” She opened her eyes when Corviknight nuzzled under her chin. She hugged her Pokemon close, feeling the coolness of her metallic feathers. “You were amazing, girl.”

She straightened and looked around. The clearing would be good to set up camp, as it was far too dark to continue to travel. She let out her Pokemon and got to work on setting up camp. Idly, she wondered if Hop was in the forest. _It’s not like I can contact him anyway…_

Her thoughts then, naturally, wandered over to Marnie, and she blushed when she laid out her sleeping bag. _She must be in Ballonlea by now. I didn’t even see her in Stow-on-Side._

Her Pokemon huddled around her as she made a batch of curry. She sensed they were more protective than usual. Ninetails especially seemed the most paranoid, weaving between her legs and keeping a close eye on the camp perimeter. Roselia tried to calm the group with Aromatherapy, and it worked slightly, but they all still felt uneasy.

Gloria tucked herself into her sleeping bag, smiling when she noticed Inteleon leaning against a tree, keeping watch over her. Ninetails laid across her body and Riolu and Roselia jumped to cuddle into her sleeping bag. Corviknight kept watch on the other side, her red eyes glowing in the dark. She felt her eyelids close as sleep overcame her.

-x-

Gloria opened her eyes slowly, feeling very warm. She felt slightly constricted and tried to move but stopped when she felt something shuffle behind her. Whatever it was had a grip around her body, which tightened. Her heart hammered in her chest when she noticed the breath on the back of her neck. _Not some_ thing _, but some_ one!

“Mm... up for ‘nother one?” the familiar sultry sleep-laden voice behind her nearly sent her into cardiac arrest.

_Is that…_

Gloria turned over and stared into Marnie’s sleepy turquoise eyes. It was dark, but the moonlight shone across her face beautifully. Gloria’s breath caught in her throat as she remained speechless. Marnie’s arms tightened as she slowly woke from her slumber. She frowned and sat up a little. “You okay?” she whispered, hand to Gloria’s cheek, which quickly reddened.

“Uhh…” Gloria gulped. She smiled shakily. “More than okay!” Marnie did not look convinced and sat up further. Gloria noticed her state of undress and reddened dangerously further when she realized she matched her. She blacked out.

-x-

When she woke next, it was to Marnie’s concerned gaze. She noted the sunlight streaming through the window and Marnie’s hair around her shoulders. _No pigtails… wow, she’s gorgeous._

“Hey…” Marnie tried, smiling softly. “Feelin’ better?”

Maybe Gloria had died in that forest and this was her personal heaven. Or maybe this was the best dream she’d ever had. Whatever it was, Gloria decided she would at least enjoy it. “Yea, now that I’m looking into your eyes,” she answered cheekily.

Marnie rolled her eyes. “Definitely better.” She helped Gloria sit up and offered her a glass of water, which she took gratefully. She noticed she was dressed again, and her heart warmed. _She’s so sweet._

“You should hurry and get ready, Hop’s gonna be here soon.”

Gloria frowned. “What for?”

Marnie raised an eyebrow. “Um. Did you really forget today’s your best mate’s wedding?”

Gloria’s jaw dropped. “Hop’s getting married?! To who??”

Marnie blinked. “You’re kiddin’, right?” When Gloria stared at her blankly, she touched her palm to the brunette’s forehead. “You sure you’re okay? Feels like you’re burnin’ up.”

Gloria scrambled to get up from the bed. “I can’t believe Hopster’s getting hitched! I feel sorry for the poor sucker.”

“It’s Bede.”

Gloria nearly fell over in shock. “WHAT?!”

Marnie got close to her and squinted down at her. “Somethin’s not right with ya. C’mere.” She grabbed Gloria’s shoulders and turned her around to lay on her stomach. “Just relax. I dunno if the stress’ gettin’ to ya, or if you’re takin’ the piss outta me, but we’ll get ya sorted before Hop’s here.”

Gloria peeked behind her, over her shoulder, but Marnie pushed her head back down. “Relax, love.”

Gloria blushed but obliged, sinking into the pillow and closing her eyes. Marnie kneaded her shoulders and she nearly moaned. All the constant traveling had really cramped her muscles up. Maybe she should take a trip to the nearest hot spring. Maybe Marnie could join her.

Marnie moved lower and worked her fingers deep into Gloria’s muscles, causing the woman under her to sigh in bliss. “Your hands are amazing.”

“Mmm, you said that las’ night, too.” Gloria could _hear_ her smirk. She shuddered in delight when she felt Marnie gently scrape at her scalp and back. This time, she did moan.

“Bein’ Champion’s takin’ a toll on you,” Marnie commented, her voice lighter. Gloria frowned slightly at her tone. “Maybe you should jus’ give it up…” the voice changed to something deeper, more sinister. Marnie’s nails dug into her shoulders painfully. Gloria turned her head and screamed when she saw a Morgrem grinning at her evilly. She scrambled away and flew off the bed, running out of the bedroom. She looked behind her to see a horde of Impidimp staring at her hungrily. When she looked forward, she had somehow reached the edge of a tall building looking out over a busy city. A Ferris wheel turned in the distance. She looked behind her again and this time saw Rose smirking as he approached her from the edges of the Glimwood Tangle, Impidimp scurrying around his ankles. Gloria thought she saw a beautiful Pokemon rush into the tangle behind him, but it did not appear again.

Gloria backed away slowly, stumbling forward to regain her balance when she felt nothing but air behind her. She felt for her belt but there were no pokeballs. No one was here to help her this time.

“Gloriaaaaa!” Rose’s voice sounded distorted. “You are the biggest thorn in my side! I can’t wait to have you disqualified.” His head turned at an odd angle. “Or would you prefer to be killed?”

“You’re a monster,” Gloria spat out.

He gasped, offended. He put a hand to his chest. “That is very rude of you, Gloria. Is that how you speak to your master?” he tugged a chain forward and Gloria fell to her knees. She felt her neck and pulled at a collar that she hadn’t noticed before. _What the fuck is happening?_

She looked up into his cold green eyes. Around her, Impidimp began to laugh and cheer, their teeth sharp. _I might be scared as shit right now, but I won’t let this asshole know that._ “Bite me,” she said between clenched teeth. Her eyes blazed in defiance. Rose smirked.

He kicked her off the building. Her vision filled with a glowing red light.

“Goodbye, Gloria.”

-x-

Gloria woke with a start, her heart beating too fast to be healthy. She felt her neck and cried in relief when there was nothing there. She looked around and noticed she was in a hotel room. _Is this another nightmare?_ She looked around and found her phone and pokeballs. She let her team out and tears poured down her face at their worried expressions. Roselia quickly tried to calm her and the others gathered around her protectively.

When she calmed, she smiled and thanked her team. She stood up and returned them to their balls to let them rest. She moved to the window and looked outside, seeing a Pokemon centre and the colourful meadow characteristic of Ballonlea. _So I am here… how?_ She struggled to come up with a logical answer, since she did not remember anything after falling asleep. _Maybe Inteleon got me out? But how…_

She sat down on her bed heavily and checked her phone. _4:00 AM_

“Sun’s gonna be up soon… I should just get some more sleep and worry about it tomorrow,” she decided, laying back. She passed out, exhaustion overcoming her confusion.

Underneath her window, a Rapidash galloped away, its mane leaving a trail of fairy dust in its wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so sad when I entered the Glimwood Tangle for the first time and saw that you could literally walk right through it with almost no resistance (unless you took the time to explore every crevice). There was little to no mystery, which was disappointing. I was hoping for an experience similar to Eterna Forest in D/P/Pt where it was more of a winding path, but maybe with a more explicit labyrinth element. Hell, even having a place to visit in post-game would have been nice.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my take on it (basically, Impidimp and Morgrem confusing and playing tricks on travellers).


	18. Opal

When Gloria woke, she was thankful she’d had a dreamless sleep. _I don’t know if I could have handled another nightmare like that one so soon._ She noticed it was late afternoon and gasped. Had she really slept for twelve hours? She quickly got ready and organized her things when her hand touched an envelope. On the front, a name was inscribed in neat cursive writing. _Frank._

Gloria remembered the fairy girl she’d promised to deliver this for and decided to get that done before her gym challenge. She left the hotel after checking out and asked around town for a little boy named Frank. People looked at her like she was crazy and she frowned. She saw a young boy playing with some glowy mushrooms and crouched down to address him.

“Hey, are you Frank? I have a letter for you.”

The boy stomped his foot. “I’m not Frank! That’s my grandda’s name! I’m Tom!” He puffed his cheeks.

Gloria stood and waved her arms to placate him. “Sorry, little man, just tryna do my job. Is your grandda inside?” At Tom’s nod she thanked him and gave him an Oran Berry for his troubles. He smiled toothily, proudly showcasing his gap tooth.

Gloria knocked and entered when she was given permission. She saw an old man sitting at a table and reading the paper. He looked up curiously at her when she presented the letter to him. “’Ello! You got a letter for me?”

“Are you Frank?” she asked, just to be sure. At his nod she handed the letter to him.

“Now who could be sending me letters?” he inquired. He opened it and scanned it quickly. His eyes lit up in recognition. “Oh! It’s Paula!” He leaned back and sighed heavily. “Wow, this takes me back ages. Paula was a girl I used to play with all the time when I was but a wee lad.” His expression turned remorseful. “She fell ill, never told me. Kept a secret ‘til I found out accidentally… we had a great row about it, and before we could make up, I moved away. We never saw each other again.”

He looked up at her. “How was she? Did she look well?”

Gloria trembled slightly. “She uh… she looked well enough…”

He nodded, grateful. “That’s a comfort to hear.” He paused. “I reckon I ought to give you something for your trouble.”

Gloria smiled shakily. “That won’t be necessary, sir. It was on my way, no trouble at all.” She stepped away before he could say anything. “Take care!” She quickly left the house and sprinted to the Pokemon centre, sitting heavily at the café bar. _I need to calm down._

She ordered a tea and sipped at it slowly, her heartbeat slowing to a normal pace. _This town is mental. I need to get this next badge and get the hell outta here. No way in hell am I going through that forest again. Taking a Taxi straight back to Hammerlocke._

She had Nurse Joy check on her Pokemon then left the centre, making her way towards the stadium. She knew this next gym was a Fairy one, but all she had to counter was her Corviknight, who had learned Steel Wing, and her Roselia’s Venoshock. She might have to rely on those two purely through the fight.

She pushed the doors open, so focused in her strategizing that she bumped straight into the person in front of her. She stammered out an apology as she quickly grabbed in front of her, steadying herself and her victim.

“Challenger Gloria.” Gloria looked up at the familiar voice and blushed heavily, remembering her dream.

“M-Marnie!” she stammered out, dropping her wrist and straightening out. “Uh, fancy seeing you here…”

Marnie blinked at Gloria’s odd behaviour and crossed her arms. By her side, Morpeko chittered, mocking Gloria. Marnie shushed her partner before reaching forward and touching her palm to Gloria’s forehead. “You okay? You’re burnin’ up…”

 _Holy motherfu—_ “I’m fine! Perfectly fine! Tip top shape!” Gloria shouted, waving her arms around. She pinched her arm and was relieved to feel pain. Marnie looked at her like she was crazy, then frowned heavily. She grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the stadium. “W-what are you doing?”

“Shut it.” Marnie’s tone left no room for argument. She looked over her shoulder, electric eyes narrowing. “Somethin’s not right. We’re gonna ‘ave a proper talk.” Gloria could do nothing but passively let herself get pulled away from the gym. Marnie kept walking until they reached a small rivulet, away from the town, but not in the Glimwood Tangle. Gloria shuddered as she thought about the forest, sitting down on a log.

Marnie sat next to her and placed her hand on her knee, a concerned look across her features. Gloria looked down and idly noticed the black nail polish contrasting against her pale skin. She compared it to her bare nails. _Nail polish sounds nice right now._

“Gloria?” Gloria looked up at Marnie, who looked very, very worried. _I should apologize for worrying her so much._

“Hey, I’m sorry,” Gloria started, putting on a genuine smile. She touched her hand over Marnie’s. “So much has been happening since we last saw each other. I think I’m just real stressed and tired.”

Marnie pursed her lips. “That’s all?”

Gloria hesitated. “Please don’t think I’m crazy.”

“I would never.” Morpeko squeaked in agreement and hopped onto Gloria’s lab, nuzzling against her stomach. “Morpeko adores you,” Marnie commented.

The Pokemon’s cuddles soothed Gloria as she pet her. “She’s so sweet. Just like her trainer.” Gloria squeezed Marnie’s hand and scooted closer, enjoying Marnie’s blush. “Hop and I had just finished challenging the Stow-on-Side gym…” Gloria recounted what she’d been through in the last forty-eight hours, skipping over the details of her nightmare.

“Wow,” Marnie breathed. “No wonder you’re so wound up. You need ta relax.”

“I need to get out of this damn town,” Gloria laughed, closing her eyes. “This place is mental.”

“You ‘ave to be a certain kinda person to enjoy it here,” Marnie agreed. She looked around. “But it really is beautiful…”

Gloria opened her eyes and looked at Marnie’s face. The blue and pink light of the mushrooms casted an ethereal glow on her. Her heart thundered in her chest as she snuck a glance down at her lips, leaning forward slightly. Marnie turned to face her, eyes widening but relaxing just as fast as she leaned forward. They were so close. Gloria could feel her breath on her face.

_Ding!_

Marnie backed away rapidly, a heavy blush on her face. “I think that was yours…” she said quietly.

Gloria’s eye twitched as she saw a message from Hop. _Your timing is absolute ass, Hop!_

_Hoppip: Ballonlea down! See ya in Circhester!_

“WHAT?!” Gloria exclaimed, standing up. Morpeko squeaked in protest. “How the hell did he beat Ballonlea before me?!”

“Hop?” Marnie guessed, smiling lightly as she stood as well. Morpeko hopped onto her shoulder. “You oughta make your way to the gym, then, before he gets ta Circhester before ya.”

Gloria sighed and put away her phone. “You’re right.” She smiled at Marnie. “Thanks for checking up on me. I’ll try to take breaks more often. You’re heading to Circhester too, right?” Marnie nodded. “Well, good luck! I’ll meet ya there.” Gloria turned to leave but Marnie gripped her hand tightly, turning her back around. She planted a chaste kiss on her cheek, lingering a bit, her fingers light on Gloria’s jaw before she pulled away much too soon.

“For luck,” she mumbled. “And a promise for later…”

Gloria put a hand to her cheek, stunned and speechless. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. Morpeko chittered as Marnie turned away, waving goodbye.

-x-

Gloria descended the stairs of what appeared to be a stage. She nervously tugged on her challenger uniform, wondering what this one would be like. _For luck._ Marnie’s voice rang in her head sweetly. _And a promise for later…_ She blushed at the implications of _that_.

She noticed that old lady she had met just outside of Hammerlocke. _Opal, was it?_ When Opal noticed her, she turned around and greeted her kindly.

“I was waiting for you.” Opal scanned her figure, then clicked her tongue in disapproval. “Not too much pink here, I see. A shame. I’m looking for a successor, you see. So I’ve structured my gym mission as an audition.” _That explains the stage._

“All you have to do is battle my trainers and answer some questions,” Opal explained.

“Sounds easy enough,” Gloria said, smiling. Opal’s smile stretched a little.

“If you answer incorrectly, your Pokemon’s stats get lowered in battle, so choose your answers wisely.” Before Gloria could ponder on this, she was quickly ushered onto the stage. The spotlights turned on her and she held a hand up, squinting at their intensity. In the audience, only Opal was present, sitting in the front row. It was almost comical.

“Show me what you can do!” Opal shouted. “Action!”

Gloria breezed through the gym trainers with ease. Answering all questions correctly had only sped things up, even if they were random and odd to begin with. Opal looked like a proud grandmother when she was finished.

“Bravo! Excellent!” Opal clapped. “You might make a fine Fairy Gym Leader yet, if we can convince you to dye your wardrobe pink.” She stood up and shuffled her papers. “Please meet me in the Stadium when you’re ready.” Gloria left the stage from the right and saw a tunnel leading to the pitch. She noticed a sheet of paper on the table nearby and picked it up to read

_Leon: fail  
Correct Answers: 1  
Comments: Talented at battling, but hard to read…_

_Sonia: fail_   
_Correct Answers: 3_   
_Comments: Brilliant mind, but too quick to give up. It’s not easy being Magnolia’s granddaughter…_

Gloria wondered what Opal had to say about her. Or Hop and Marnie. She put the sheet back down and exited the tunnel, onto the pitch. In the centre, Opal waited for her, a serene look on her face. When Gloria met her in the middle, she opened her eyes and smiled kindly.

“The final part of this mission is to battle me. Show me what you can do against a Fairy-type master!” Gloria nodded and the two parted to their sides of the pitch.

Opal started with a Weezing against Gloria’s Corviknight. Corviknight soared right through it with a powerful Steel Wing, knocking it out. Next up was her Mawile, likely to counter her Steel-type bird, but she was surprised when Mawile instead used Iron Defense. Unperturbed, Gloria ordered another Steel Wing, which predictably did little damage.

“Quiz time!” Opal announced. Gloria blinked. _More questions?!_ “What effects does Baton Pass have in battle?”

Gloria answered robotically. “It switches between party Pokemon and passes along stat changes.” Her eyes widened as Opal smiled.

“Correct! Baton Pass!” Mawile switched out for a Togekiss, which took the next Steel Wing well with the added defense boost. Togekiss outsped Corviknight and knocked it out with an intense Heat Wave attack. Gloria swallowed nervously. _She’s definitely not a pushover… have to be careful here._

She took a calculated risk and sent out Inteleon. _He’s the only one that’s fast enough to do this!_ “Snipe shot!” The attack landed directly on the Togekiss, which staggered slightly in the air from the damage. Opal retaliated with Air Slash, causing Inteleon to flinch.

“Question two: Which ability doubles the likelihood of activation of move side effects?”

Gloria struggled for a bit but remembered at the last second. “Serene Grace!”

“Correct again! Air Slash!”

“Inteleon, dodge! Snipe Shot!” Togekiss took the next hit and fainted, unable to continue. Opal simply smiled and sent out Mawile again, which put up a great fight but also fell to Inteleon’s Snipe Shot. Gloria recalled Inteleon and sent out Roselia. Opal sent out her last Pokemon, Alcremie, and Gigantamaxed it right away.

“My morning tea is finally kicking in!” Opal chuckled. Gloria nearly fell over. _It’s bloody well five in the afternoon!_

Gloria Dynamaxed Roselia in response and used Max Ooze. Alcremie took heavy damage but stood strong. Opal slammed her cane on the ground.

“One last question! What is… my favourite colour?”

Gloria didn’t even have to think about this one. “Pink!”

“Wrong!”

Gloria’s jaw dropped and she sputtered as Roselia’s special defense was lowered. “What the hell!”

“It’s actually purple! G-Max Finale!”

Three pink columns erupted around Roselia, summoning a pink twister of Fairy magic. It did significant damage but Roselia was not close to giving up. “One last push! Max Ooze!”

Alcremie was unable to handle this hit, and fainted, Roselia following soon after. Gloria cradled her Pokemon in her arms and praised her for her hard work. Opal met her in the middle and smiled.

“Good effort, not bad… but not what I’m looking for,” Opal said. Gloria pretended to look disappointed. “Oh don’t worry, child, it’s a matter of preference, not talent. I’ll have to find my replacement elsewhere, and I already have a feeling I know where to go. Here is the Fairy badge for your troubles.” Gloria shook hands with the old lady and thanked her. Just as she turned to leave, Opal stopped her.

“Hold on a second… I have to be in Hammerlocke for a few errands. Care to join me? We will take a Taxi of course, wouldn’t want to get lost in the Tangle again now would we?”

Gloria’s jaw dropped slightly as Opal walked past her and towards the tunnel. _How did she know?!_

-x-

The pair landed near the Pokemon Centre closest to Route 6, and so they started walking toward the east side. “Such a dusty old city, Hammerlocke,” Opal complained. Gloria agreed, it was indeed dusty but also majestic.

When they reached the middle of the city, Gloria noticed a familiar figure standing in the middle of the street. It was Bede, and he looked a little better than when she last saw him. She wondered if Hop had anything to do with it. He turned when he heard her behind him and put his hand on his hip.

“What, come to gawk at me now that I’ve lost my status as a Challenger?” He sneered. _He’s still a prick,_ Gloria concluded.

Gloria wanted to be petty and mean, but having known what he went through, she chose the higher path. “No, Bede, but I’m glad to see you’re doing better.”

He jerked back, as if not expecting her sincerity. “I don’t need your pity, it’s beneath me,” he retaliated. “I haven’t given up on my goal! I will become the Champion and help the Chairman save the Galar region.”

Before Gloria could say anything, she heard the sound of wood rattling on the floor. Her eyes widened comically at the sight of Opal sprinting to Bede, shouting “PINK!” at the top of her lungs. Bede seemed equally surprised and uncomfortable as she sized him up.

“Now that’s what I call pink!” she exclaimed.

“W-what…” Bede sputtered. He coughed into his fist. “M-miss Opal! What’s gotten into you?”

Opal calmed down and retrieved her cane, leaning on it heavily. “Oh, you poor thing. Oleana and Rose used you to gather Wishing Stars, didn’t they? Then tossed you away like rubbish when you achieved your goal.” She sighed deeply. “Come with me, child. I have much to teach you.”

Bede blinked. “Is this a test? Very well! I will learn all about the Wishing Stars from you.” Gloria thought maybe he misunderstood what Opal wanted from him. _Ooohh he’s in for a crazy surprise._

Opal turned to her and smiled. “You should be on your way to Circhester, young lady. Good luck!” She put her arm around Bede’s and dragged him toward Route 6.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hop: *sends message* "heh, take that gloria"  
> also hop: "why do i hear boss music?"


	19. Sonia

Gloria continued her trek to Route 7, debating on whether she should stay in a hotel for the evening or camp out on the route, but stopped when she heard her name being called. She turned around as Sonia walked toward her. “Heya! How’s the badge collecting coming along?”

Gloria smiled. “Good, thanks! Heading to Circhester now. How’s the research?”

“At a dead end, I’m afraid. I still have so many questions. What kind of Pokemon were the two heroes and where are they now? I was thinking of taking a look at the tapestries in—” A loud explosion interrupted her thoughts and startled the people around them.

“Are you kidding me?!” Sonia cried. She looked up toward Hammerlocke stadium. “What’s happening?” She heard a beep from her phone and checked her PSD. “A Power Spot here?! Oh no!”

Gloria’s eyes widened. “Are you saying that Pokemon can Dynamax here—"

“Hey, you two felt that?” Leon came rushing down the stairs in front of them, panic laced in his voice. “I think the Chairman is testing something!” Gloria’s eyes narrowed.

“That’s the Energy Plant tower up there, right?” Sonia asked. Leon nodded. “Leon, there’s a Power Spot reading on my detector. That means Pokemon might Dynamax in the middle of the city!”

Leon frowned heavily. “Is that so? I’ll warn the Chairman right away.”

Sonia rolled her eyes. “I’m coming with you, otherwise you’ll just get lost!” She turned to Gloria. “You needn’t worry about this, okay? Just focus on your challenge and let us handle this.” Leon nodded, and without letting Gloria say another word, dashed off toward the Energy Plant.

Gloria sighed irritably. _I’m already chest deep in this shite anyway, what’s another inch?_ She called Hop, relieved when he picked up. “Hop! Bad news!”

_“What’s wrong Gloria?”_

“I’m passing through Hammerlocke right now and there was a loud explosion that shook the whole stadium. It looks like it came from the Energy Plant. Sonia says that there’s a Power Spot reading in the city, so she and Leon went to go warn the Chairman.” She paused letting him digest what she just dumped on him. She heard him exhale slowly.

_“Blimey, Gloria. I just got to Circhester. I’m actually about to challenge the gym right now.”_

_Without me?_ Gloria thought sadly, but she let it slide. “That’s okay, Hop. Focus on your badge. I’ll learn what I can from this and try to catch up. You got this.”

_“Thanks, mate. Stay safe and good luck.”_

She hung up and pinched the bridge of her nose. She promised Marnie she’d take a break, but this was too important to let slide. She wondered if she should let her in on this conspiracy between her and Hop but thought against it. _No need to drag her in this…_

Gloria turned toward the Energy Plant and started to walk towards it but stopped when she heard voices around the corner. She looked around and hid behind a crate.

“There’s a Power Spot here, Chairman. It’s clear as day on the PSD! You know how these things work.” _That was obviously Sonia._

“Yes, Sonia, I am well aware how a PSD works. It is one of the many projects your grandmother and I collaborated on. Which is why I am confident that it will not pose a problem to the citizens.” _Rose._ She’d recognize that slimy voice anywhere. “There is a Galar particle leak and my team is working to contain it! Don’t worry so much.”

“Leon, you _know_ this is bad! Say something!” _Yea, Leon, say something,_ Gloria thought angrily.

“If the Chairman says it’s fine, I believe him…” he said weakly.

“There you have it, dear. If the Champion has faith in me, I don’t see why you shouldn’t, too. Why don’t you head to Circhester and visit the Heroes’ Bath for some more clues in your research? I’m dying to learn more about your progress.” Gloria could recognize a threat when she heard one. _Stop pressing this or you’ll regret it,_ she translated in her mind.

Thankfully, Sonia was sharp enough to recognize it too. “I understand, Chairman, _Champion_. Thank you for your time and thank you for the advice. I hope this is resolved soon.” Her tone was icy and Gloria was living for it.

“Chairman, we must be going.” It was easy to guess this one.

“You heard the woman! See you! Oh, and Leon, do please consider what we discussed earlier today. I can’t launch this initiative without you.” She heard their footsteps get weaker and almost lifted her head to leave but stopped when Sonia went off on Leon.

“Leon, _what the hell!_ ” she yelled. “Why didn’t you back me up?”

“You heard the same things I did!” he bit back. “If he says it’s fine, _then it’s fine!_ ”

“I can’t believe you fell for this bullshit. When did you lose your spine? People might get hurt, Leon!”

Gloria heard a cape snap back. “Sonia, you don’t understand…”

“What is there to understand? I needed your support and you left me hanging.” She sighed. “Ugh, forget it. There’s no getting through to you when you’re like this. When you feel like growing a backbone, call me. There’s a _lot_ I need to talk to you about.” Gloria heard Sonia’s heels clack away as she left.

“Damn it!” Leon shouted angrily, kicking something over. He breathed heavily as he summoned Charizard. Gloria heard the Fire dragon huff in concern. “You understand, don’t you buddy? It’s out of my hands…” Leon sighed. “C’mon, let’s go.” Gloria panicked when she heard Charizard take off, hoping he wouldn’t fly over her, but he went the other way. Gloria slid down the crate in relief. She jumped when her phone went off. _Sonia._

“Hey, what’s up?” Gloria said cheerfully.

_“Hey, you still in Hammerlocke? We need to talk…”_

-x-

Gloria sat across from Sonia in a cute café in the train station. She sipped her tea patiently, waiting for Sonia to breach the subject as she swirled her stir rod around her coffee. Sonia leaned her cheek against her fist and sighed.

“Remember when you, Nessa and I were sitting in that restaurant in Hulbury, after you won your gym challenge?” Sonia said.

Gloria remembered clear as day. _Man, that feels like ages ago._ “Yes.”

“And do you remember when you said Rose makes you uneasy?”

“Yes.”

“I get it now.” Sonia wrapped her hands around her mug, looking into the swirling patterns. “I had an incident with him after Leon and I went to see him.” She launched into a shortened version of the story Gloria already knew, but she was glad that Sonia held nothing back and was fully honest about everything.

“Something’s not right! Any other _sane_ person would alert the authorities and evacuate the city until the problem is solved. I get he would want to prevent panic, but anything is better than doing nothing,” Sonia complained. “And then there’s Leon! He just folded over like a newspaper! I’ve never seen him so complacent in my life.” She looked Gloria directly in the eyes. “You’ve been right on the money about everything related to the heroes’ legend, so I have to know. What do _you_ think is happening?”

Gloria chose her words carefully. “I don’t trust Rose. Like at all. But I think Leon is being either misled or is oblivious. Rose is really good at manipulating his people.”

Sonia nodded. “I can see that but I just don’t understand _why_. _Why_ is he manipulating Leon? Why is he hiding the Power Spot? Why is he collecting Wishing Stars through challengers?” She sighed again. “So many questions.”

Gloria struggled internally, but she knew she could trust Sonia. She had reached out to her, after all. “Sonia, there’s something I have to tell you. But you have to promise you won’t tell Leon.”

Sonia looked at her with wide eyes as Gloria recounted everything she and Hop had been through. When she was finished, Sonia was quiet for a long time. Gloria sipped her tea, waiting for her reply.

“Before today, I wouldn’t have believed you, no offense.”

“None taken.”

“But in light of today’s events,” Sonia continued, “I’m not surprised with what I just heard. It still doesn’t answer a lot of questions, but it does correlate with Rose’s actions. It’s a shame you have no hard evidence. I would have taken that straight to the press.”

“It all happened so fast,” Gloria said, “we weren’t prepared when it mattered most.”

Sonia smiled. “But you two came out okay, and that’s all that matters in the end.” She put her finger to her chin. “Though I do wonder who your mystery saviour was that day…”

Gloria shrugged. “If I ever find out who they are, they’re gettin’ a big old kiss from me, that’s for sure.”

Sonia laughed. “I hope for your sake they’re a girl.” She looked down at her phone and smiled warmly. “Speaking of girls… I have to go. I’ll see you in Circhester, yea? Though Rose is an asshat, he wasn’t wrong about the Heroes’ Bath. I’ll give you a call when I find something.” She stood up and Gloria followed her. “And thanks for hearing me out.”

Gloria grinned. “No problem. Thanks for listening and believing my story. It means a lot. Oh, and say hi to Nessa for me.”

Sonia blushed slightly. “That easy to read, eh? Definitely. Ciao!”

Gloria went towards Route 7 then stopped and sighed up at the moon. Hotel it is, then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao i loved how in the games sonia was like "omg! there's a power spot here people could actually die" and rose was basically like "then perish"
> 
> here's my take on why the whole city wasn't evacuated when this was a known issue


	20. Circhester

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)

Route 7 was thankfully not too long, but that was mainly because it was blocked off by Team Yell grunts performing a song for Marnie. _Why don’t they understand that I’m on their side?!_ She did note however that whenever Team Yell showed up, Marnie was sure to be close by. Or was it the other way around? Regardless, their presence sparked a little hope in her chest.

She opted to take Route 8 since that was closer to Circhester anyway. She traversed the ruins, continuing her Pokedex side project and battling more trainers on the way. She climbed up a ladder and dusted herself off when she reached the top, Riolu close behind. She squinted her eyes across the landscape when she heard a familiar squeaking. Upon closer inspection, it was unmistakeably Marnie and Morpeko battling against a Falinks.

Gloria rushed across the rest of the ruins and reached Marnie as she bent down to give Morpeko a berry. “Hiya!” Riolu poked at Morpeko, who immediately chased him in Hangry mode.

Marnie jumped as she half turned to her, still crouched. “G-Gloria!” She blushed then coughed lightly into her sleeve. “Hey.” Gloria envied how quickly Marnie could control her emotions, her face sliding back into cool mode right away as she stood up. “I see ya caught up in a hurry.”

“Well, your extra bit of luck gave me a little more motivation,” Gloria flirted, tilting her head cutely to the side. “And unless I was mistaken, I heard something about a promise…?”

Marnie’s lip twitched slightly as though it pained her to smile. “No mistakes. Ya heard right, there.” She stepped closer and interlaced her fingers with Gloria’s. _How does she always manage to one up me_? Gloria thought, blushing. “I was thinkin’ you and I could—”

“Excuse us! Young ladies, may we have a word with you?” Gloria swore she saw a vein pulse in Marnie’s head as she stepped back and released her hands. Gloria sighed at the interruption and turned to see a reporter and cameraman. _Yikes, I hope they didn’t catch any of that on tape! That was supposed to be private…_

“Yes?” Gloria said when it was clear Marnie didn’t want to interact with the pair.

“You two are Gloria and Marnie, correct? We were hoping to catch some challengers for a multi battle. Spontaneous and authentic battles are hot and trendy right now!”

“That’s it?” Gloria said, grinning at Marnie who smirked as she crossed her arms. “You’re on.”

Gloria and Marnie sent out Riolu and Morpeko who, despite their initial differences, worked very well together to take on the paparazzi’s Excadrill and Hippowdon. They pushed and pulled, taking turns supporting and attacking. It was different to how she and Hop battled, where they just stacked their attacks on top of each other. This felt more balanced. And it was clear the camera crew was impressed if their stunned faces were any indication.

The women collected their prize money and continued together to Circhester. Gloria searched deep for courage and found it when she held Marnie’s hand and intertwined their fingers together. Marnie squeezed back and shuffled closer as the temperature dropped.

“You strike me as a cold-hands type of girl, and I’m sad to say I’m right,” Gloria commented.

Marnie rolled her eyes. “An’ you strike me as a space heater kinda girl, and ’m happy to say ‘m righ’.” She shuffled even closer to emphasize her point and Gloria laughed. Snow started to fall and build on Marnie’s hair and eyelashes. Gloria thought she looked cute. She turned her head before Marnie caught her staring and hurried them along when she saw the city limits up ahead.

“C’mon! We’re almost there.” It was only about noon, thankfully, so they had plenty of time to explore. “I’m absolutely famished.”

“I know a place,” Marnie said tugging her along to the city’s main square. They entered a cozy diner and took a table in the corner of the place. Gloria hadn’t been here long but she was in love with the city already.

“You’ve been here before?” Gloria asked as she picked up the menu.

Marnie shrugged. “A few times,” she answered nonchalantly as she peered over the menu at Gloria. “With my bro, mostly.”

“Hmm.” Gloria frowned. “You’ve mentioned him before. What does he do, exactly?” She set her menu down and leaned her cheek against her palm.

Marnie folded her menu and set it down as well. “He works in the Pokemon League,” she answered vaguely. She smirked a bit. “You’ll meet ‘im soon enough.”

Before Gloria could ask any follow-up questions the waitress appeared to take their orders and collected their menus. Marnie subtly changed the subject. “We were a great team back there, dontcha think?”

Gloria nodded. “Like a well-oiled machine.” She paused for bit. “Do you… do you need a partner for the Circhester gym?”

“Are ya offerin’?”

“W-well, yes, but—”

“I accept.”

Gloria blinked. “Just like that?”

Marnie nodded. “Jus’ like that.”

Gloria laughed lightly. “Battling with you is so different to battling with Hop.”

“Hop’s a lot like ya… loud, abrasive, brave. Ya need someone cooler to mellow ya out.”

Gloria smiled sweetly. “Someone like you?”

“Gloria, are ya tryna set me up with Hop?”

At that Gloria snorted and laughed. “Arceus, no. Hop is like ten thousand times more energetic than me. You wouldn’t last a day with him. I like you too much to put you through that.”

She knew what she said was a little risky but seeing one of Marnie’s rare warm smiles was definitely worth it. Marnie opened her mouth to reply but their food arrived, silencing her. They ate in comfortable silence, sneaking glances at each other when they thought the other wasn’t looking.

“Oh, by the way, I ran into some Team Yell blokes back on route seven. They were blocking the road and singing your anthem.”

Marnie blushed and cleared her throat. “I jus’ wanna say that I don’ endorse any Team Yell actions and I don’ have an anthem.” She sighed. “I’ll hafta talk to ‘em again, get ‘em to back down and stop harassin’ the other challengers.”

“In any case,” Gloria replied, grinning. “I was happy to sing along with them.” Marnie’s deeper blush as she lightly kicked her shin was reward enough.

-x-

The duo walked to the gym together, not holding hands but staying close. They stopped when they saw Hop standing in front of the doors. “Hop?”

The man jolted and turned to look behind him. “Oh, Gloria! Hey, nice to see you, and you too Marnie. Sorry, I was just thinking about something.”

“How did your challenge go?”

Hop averted his gaze. “I uh… it didn’t go so well.” He shuffled slightly on his feet. “I lost pretty early on.”

“Why didn’t you wait for me? We could have taken it together, like we did Stow-on-Side,” Gloria asked, a little put off.

Hop frowned and crossed his arms. “This isn’t about you, Gloria. I need to prove to myself that I can do this, for me. For Lee.” He threw his hands up in frustration. “Agh, forget it! I need to go train.” He ran off before Gloria could say anything. Gloria watched him go sadly but turned when Marnie touched her shoulder.

“He’ll be all right,” she said. “Let’s go inside.”

The pair entered the gym and signed up for the challenge together, changing into their uniforms. They knew what to expect as they had talked strategy in the restaurant. Riolu and Roselia would go on Gloria’s end and Morpeko and Toxicroak on Marnie’s end.

Marnie caught the back of Gloria’s uniform and gave her a deadpan look. “Sixty-nine? Really?”

Gloria blushed and shrugged. “I regret nothing.”

Marnie pointed to her back. “Yours is mine in reverse.”

Gloria traced her fingers over the numbers. “Huh… what a happy coincidence.” She met Marnie’s eyes and smiled.

The referee explained the rules to them and started the mini tournament. It was an understatement to say that they _crushed_ the competition. Not a single one of their Pokemon fainted throughout the entire challenge, which hyped up the crowd as the announcer made that clear while they waited in the tunnel. Gloria turned to Marnie and smiled. “You ready?”

Marnie nodded silently, her head already in the game, and Gloria faced forward. They both walked to the centre of the pitch, meeting the famed mother-son duo, Melony and Gordie. Gloria had heard stories of Melony’s talent with Ice-type Pokemon, but she had no idea how Gordie’s prowess with Rock-type Pokemon scaled. By the time they were lined up for introductions, the Gym Leaders were already bickering.

“Moooom,” Gordie whined, teeth clenched, “you’re gonna cost us this match!”

“Gordie!” Melony scolded. “Not in front of the challengers!” She turned to them with a kind smile. “Hello, ladies. Don’t mind my grouchy son. He’s just as stubborn as the element of his choice…”

“And you’re just as cold as yours…”

When Melony opened her mouth to reply, Marnie cleared her throat impatiently. Gloria coughed in her fist to hide her laughter.

Melony returned to Gym Leader mode after that. “Seeing as you have conquered Stow-on-Side, you must already be familiar with the multi-battle format in place here. My name is Melony and I am the Ice-type expert. This is my son Gordie, who is, unfortunately, the Rock-type expert.” Behind his glasses, Gordie rolled his eyes. “If you can defeat us, we will reward you with the Mountain Badge. Good luck, dears!”

The two pairs took their places on the pitch. Roselia, Toxicroak, Stonjourner and Frosmoth came out first. Gloria wasted no time and quickly used Toxic on Frosmoth. She had given Roselia a Yache berry to counter Melony and relied on Marnie to take care of Stonjourner. Toxicroak acted swiftly and delivered a strong Brick Break to the Rock-type Pokemon, knocking it down to half health. Gordie set up a Stealth Rock in retaliation, which worried Gloria as Morpeko would take damage from it.

“Icy Wind!” As expected, Roselia used up her Yache berry, but the move also had the unfortunate effect of slowing them down. Roselia took another Icy Wind but unleashed a devastating Venoshock together with Toxicroak to take down the Frosmoth. Stonjourner threw a Rock Slide that did little to Toxicroak but delivered the final blow to Roselia.

Gloria and Melony sent out their final Pokemon at the same time.

“Riolu, do your best!”

“Lapras, I’m counting on you!”

The Stealth Rock piled onto Riolu, but he was able to shake it off easily. Riolu’s Aura Sphere quickly took down Stonjourner, who was replaced by Coalossal. Lapras picked off the rest of Toxicroak’s health with a powerful Ice Beam, but not before he landed a Cross Poison and took off a quarter of her health.

Marnie sent out Morpeko and her body twitched slightly as the Stealth Rock stabbed into the Pokemon’s form, but Morpeko seemed okay otherwise. Riolu looked back at his partner in worry, narrowly dodging an incoming Heat Crash from Gordie’s Coalossal.

Gordie laughed. “Do you really think your tiny little Pokemon are going to beat us?” He tilted his head. “Mom, it’s your turn this time.”

“Such a loving son!” Melony cooed. “Lapras, Gigantamax time, love!”

Gloria turned her head to Marnie who nodded. “Morpeko, time for a Dynamax!” Gloria turned her attention back to Riolu. “Aura Sphere on the Coalossal!”

“I don’t think so! Lapras, Max Hailstorm!”

“Morpeko, interrupt with Max Lightning!”

Ice and lightning flew across the stadium as the enlarged mouse battled with the majestic Lapras. To Morpeko’s credit, she took any stray attacks easily enough and was able to weaken Lapras significantly. The Aura Sphere was lost in the storm, which Gordie took advantage of.

“Thanks Mom! Okay Coalossal, finish that little pint with a Heat Crash!”

“Riolu, dodge it again!”

Riolu was a second too slow and took the attack head on, obscured from Gloria’s view as the Coalossal blocked him. Gloria’s eyes welled up in tears and her breath caught in her throat, but then she noticed a bright white light outlining the Coalossal. She gasped when a taller and stronger Lucario appeared, pushing the Coalossal back.

“Lucario! Use Revenge!” The Coalossal took a direct hit and was knocked out from the additional strength Lucario gained from evolution. The Pokemon bounded gracefully back to Gloria and smiled as he looked at her over his shoulder. She smiled back tearfully.

“Lapras, Max Geyser!”

“Morpeko, Max Guard!”

In the midst of their battle, Gloria commanded Lucario to sneak up to Lapras to deliver the final blow in the form of a point-blank Aura Sphere. The match was over. Gloria cheered and grabbed Marnie in an excited group hug with their Pokemon, bouncing up and down. Marnie tapped her shoulder to be let down, blushing heavily and Gloria obliged. The duo met up with the Gym Leaders to receive their badges, thanking them for the match.

-x-

Marnie and Gloria left the stadium in high spirits. They walked around Circhester together, first stopping at the Pokemon centre to heal their teams then window shopping at the various boutiques in the area. They decided to take a break in an empty park, not too far from the stadium but most importantly, private.

Gloria rested her head on Marnie’s shoulder as they watched the sun set. The snow sparkled in the dying light. Ahead, Lucario and Morpeko played in the snow, Morpeko fascinated by Lucario’s new height.

Gloria looked down at their intertwined hands and felt warmth in her belly. She could feel an unspoken tension between them, but it wasn’t a bad feeling. Rather, there was a hidden expectation…

“Marnie—”

“Gloria—”

They paused, giggled. Then, Gloria said, “you first.”

Marnie smiled slightly. “We work so well t’gether, on an’ off the field a-an' I think we could be somethin’ more…”

Gloria’s heart beat harder as she slowly sat up and looked at Marnie with wide eyes. Marnie turned to meet her gaze calmly, but when Gloria swiped her thumb across her wrist she could feel her heart beat just as fast as hers.

“Funny, I was just thinking the same…” she whispered, eyelids lowered to half as she leaned forward. Marnie shivered, not from the cold, and leaned forward as well. When their lips finally met, it was like a bolt of lightning shot through her. Gloria’s eyes shut fully as she leaned further into the feeling, untangling their hands to cradle Marnie’s face in her palms.

The kiss was slow, but passionate and it made Gloria’s toes curl in her old, worn boots. She opened her mouth slightly as Marnie moved her lips a little firmer, hand sliding around her waist and up her back to rest on the nape of her neck, nails scratching lightly.

They broke only for air, panting lightly as they regarded each other with half-lidded eyes. Marnie used her other hand to hold Gloria’s chin lightly between her fingers, pecking the corner of her mouth. Gloria giggled and moved her arms to wrap loosely around Marnie’s neck as they embraced again, this time more confident and the pace a little more urgent. Marnie rested her hands on Gloria’s hips, flexing her fingers.

Finally, they pulled away to rest their foreheads together. “Wow…” Gloria mumbled. Marnie could only huff slightly in quiet laughter as she opened her eyes to see Gloria’s look of utter bliss. “I’ve been dreaming about this for so long,” she confessed.

“Pro’bly not as long as I ‘ave,” Marnie joked. Gloria scoffed, her breath materializing in front of her, and opened her eyes. “You mus’ not have noticed me, but I was there when ya gave Bede a good tongue-lashin’ back in Motostoke, before the openin’ ceremony. I knew you were special then and there.”

“Oh gosh,” she laughed, “I can’t believe your first sight of me was full blown Postwick mode. How embarrassing.” She leaned forward and buried her face in Marnie’s neck. The other woman shivered slightly at the feel of her breath.

“’S’not embarrassin’,” she said, tugging Gloria closer. “Was hot, if ya ask me.”

Gloria giggled then pressed her lips to Marnie’s neck, enjoying the reactions that she caused from the other girl. “Good thing your opinion on this matter is the only one that matters to me. Besides Mum, of course.”

Marnie wrinkled her nose. “Please don’ mention your mum righ’ now.”

Gloria pulled away and tilted her head back in laughter. Marnie’s heart squeezed in her chest. _Deep in it, and happy with that…_

“Gloria, I—”

Gloria’s phone rang and Marnie nearly tossed it away. The brunette sighed and leaned forward to kiss Marnie’s lips chastely in apology. “Sorry, can you hold that thought? I have to take this.” She answered the phone with one hand but held one of Marnie’s with the other. “Hey, Sonia, what’s up?”

 _“Hey girl, hope you got your Mountain_ _Badge from Circhester! I need your advice on something to do with the Darkest Day. I think I might have a breakthrough, but I’d like your opinion on it first.”_

“Sure,” Gloria answered, smiling lightly. “Do you have room for a plus one?” Gloria turned to look at Marnie as she said this and Marnie squeezed her hand in approval.

She could hear the confusion in Sonia’s voice. _“I think you should come alone. I also need to talk to you about our little problem. I have some unpleasant information from Gran.”_

Marnie frowned slightly when Gloria’s eyes shifted to something a little darker. She was surprised when Gloria agreed.

“Alright, where do you wanna meet?”

_“There’s a restaurant called Bob’s Your Uncle near the Pokemon centre. I’m there now, so just head over whenever you can. Ciao!”_

Marnie pulled her hand away and fixed Gloria with an intense look. “What’s goin’ on here?”

Gloria’s face looked pained. “Marnie, I can’t tell you right now, but I promise it’s important. Once I can get enough information I’ll tell you everything.”

“Information about what?” Marnie pressed, pulling away when Gloria tried to hold her hands. She ignored Gloria’s hurt look and leaned back slightly. “What are ya hidin’ from me?”

At this, Gloria’s lips pressed into a firm line. “I’m not hiding anything more than what you’re hiding from me!”

Marnie stood up and crossed her arms. “What the hell’s that s’posed to mean?”

“You’ve been so dodgy about your brother ever since I brought him up! Why?”

“Don’ change the subject!”

“I’m not hiding anything from you!”

“Then why aren’t ya tellin’ me anythin’?” Marnie stepped back, gripping her elbows. “Don’ you trus’ me…?”

Gloria stood up quickly, panic filling her features. “Of course I do!” She advanced forward and stepped up on her toes to slide her fingers in Marnie’s hair and lean her face close. “Of course I do…” she repeated, voice soft, cracking slightly at the end.

Marnie pulled away again and gently placed Gloria’s hands away from her. “I need to think ‘bout this,” she said slowly. She turned around, eyes low and sad, and beckoned Morpeko to her. “I’ll see ya around, Gloria.” She left the park, shattering her heart.


	21. The New Heroes

Gloria trudged across Circhester towards Bob’s Your Uncle, her thoughts clouded in depression. _To think I started this day off so differently… we kissed, I had her right there! And I lost her just as fast…_ She sighed. She checked her phone for the tenth time since leaving that park and bit her lip in worry. Still no answer.

_Gloria: Marnie, please understand, i cant say anything right now because i dont have all the info_

_Gloria: I care about u so much, i never meant to hurt u_ 💔

_Gloria: Can we just talk about this, please?_

Gloria knew she sounded desperate, but she really was. Here was someone who worked so well with her, understood her and best of all, was loved by her Pokemon. And she screwed it up like an _idiot!_

“Ugh, I should have just told her!” she muttered, angry with herself. “She’s definitely trustworthy…” She pulled her beret off and ran her fingers through her hair out of stress, then replaced her hat. She stopped in front of the restaurant and sighed again. “Let’s get this over with so I can fix my love life that basically lasted a whole second…”

She entered the restaurant and was surprised to see Hop with Sonia. _Guess she called him on this, too._ She gave them a small smile and greeted them as cheerfully as she could. Hop blinked and Sonia frowned lightly, but they didn’t comment, thankfully.

“So I hear you got your badge! Good job, mate,” Hop offered sincerely, clasping her shoulder jovially. It seemed like he had gotten over his slump. “I’ll catch up to you soon, just wait! Sonia called me over here to talk about our uh… situation. And other cool research stuff.”

“Let’s grab a table so we can talk,” Sonia said, beckoning them over to a table at the far end of the restaurant. She sat across from Hop and Gloria and ordered some light appetizers. Gloria numbly munched on some spicy nachos. “So, first let’s talk about our fun friend from Hammerlocke, since that’s a bit more urgent.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice so only they could hear.

“I talked to my Gran about what’s been happening and she said that she wasn’t surprised at all. Apparently, Rose’s ambitious projects were the reason why she stopped collaborating with him. Officially, she retired, but unofficially, he cut most of her funding and she was forced to downsize when she refused to research his ideas and started asking questions.” Sonia leaned back, sighing heavily.

“When I was younger, I remember she used to have so many graduate students and postdocs running around her lab. She can barely scrape together the money nowadays, relying on small grants here and there with collaborators to keep the lights on. The only reason she isn’t homeless is because of her reputation in the field! Imagine how it would have been had she been a lesser-known researcher…”

“Arceus, I’m so sorry, Sonia,” Gloria said, her heart clenching. “Rose is such a prick. Is there anything we can do to help?”

Sonia smiled. “You’re sweet, Gloria, but there’s not much we can do except keep collecting evidence. If we can break this story at the right moment with the right proof, we can force his company to kick him out and find a more malleable replacement.”

Gloria and Hop nodded. “We’ll do our best,” he promised. “I can’t stand the thought of him hurting Pokemon like that, no matter the reason.”

“There’s more, unfortunately,” Sonia said. “There are rumours that his energy plant is destabilizing because he’s been trying to increase his power output. Apparently, this is related to that tremor we felt in Hammerlocke the other day and the huge spike in Galar particles. This isn’t the first time it’s happened, but it is the first time a Power Spot was detected outside the stadium. Gran was kicked out when she tried looking into the causes. No one really knows or understands what’s happening or why, but Rose is worried about something and is trying to keep it under wraps. It’s enough to have his employees talking about his mental state.”

“That must be why he’s collecting Wishing Stars,” the brunette said. She turned to Hop. “Hey, did you get anything out of Bede when you ran off to him?” To Gloria’s surprise, he blushed slightly. Then she blinked as she remembered the nightmare she had from the Glimwood Tangle. _No. Freaking. Way._

“All I got from him was that the Chairman asked him to collect Wishing Stars and that it’s for Galar’s future, but nothing more than that,” he answered eventually, his blush fading into his dark skin.

Sonia nodded. “Then that supports the panicked-Rose theory, then, which is good now that we can establish some kind of vague motive. It would be nice to know _what_ his big project is, but we’ll learn these things in due time, I think.” She drummed her fingers against the table and smiled. “Now, onto less urgent but equally important matters. I want you two to look around and tell me if you see anything interesting.”

Hop and Gloria turned their gaze to the walls and bar of the restaurant, but something peculiar behind Sonia caught Gloria’s eyes instantly. “The tapestry…”

Sonia grinned. “Bingo! Right again, Gloria!” She stood and motioned the two forward to the tapestry. “What do you see, Hop?”

Hop squinted and rubbed his chin in thought. “The two heroes?” he tried. He looked a little closer. “Hey, are those their tombstones? Looks like there’s a sword and shield on the front of ‘em.”

“You’ll make a fine researcher if you ever decide to go down that route, Hop,” Sonia complimented generously, making Hop blush. “And you’re right! Well, sort of. The two men aren’t the heroes, according to my theory, since I believe the heroes are the Pokemon. Those slabs are a little more ambiguous, though. They could be graves or they could be their places of slumber, waiting to be awakened again.”

Hop turned to Gloria excitedly. “Gloria, that Pokemon we saw in the Slumbering Weald, could it be one of the heroes? The sword or shield one?”

Gloria thought hard. “Hop, you might be onto something. Those statues do vaguely resemble what we saw in the fog that day, but there were some obvious differences. I don’t recall that Pokemon carrying a sword or shield.”

“They could just be metaphors,” Sonia suggested, “or maybe a form awakened when a certain condition is met.” Her grin widened. “This is so fascinating! I didn’t expect to find much when I started this little project, but I’m finding this to be a lot of fun! Let’s go to the Heroes’ Bath – I have a hunch we’ll learn more there.”

The trio settled their tab and left the restaurant, heading to the landmark. Sonia and Gloria walked as Hop ran ahead. They stopped in front of the shallow pool, the steam rising and warming the air around them. Gloria breathed in deeply and exhaled, allowing herself to relax slightly. She could feel her mood slowly lifting just by being near the body of water. She was startled when Sonia started speaking.

“According to the legend, this is where the two heroes came to rest and heal their wounds after the battle on the Darkest Day. Nowadays, this bath is mainly used by Pokemon… so, who exactly were the heroes who bathed here? Were they people, or were they Pokemon?”

She turned to Hop and Gloria. “You two met a mysterious Pokemon back in the Slumbering Weald… before your encounter, there had been no recorded event of such a thing happening,” she said. At their expressions of disbelief, she added, “I looked, trust me.” She paused for a long time, deep in thought.

“Perhaps…” she continued, softly, “perhaps you two can become the new heroes.”

Hop snorted. “What, like me an’ Gloria waving a sword and shield around? Or just one of us holding both?”

Sonia put her hands on her hips. “Hop, what kind of battle do you think the heroes had back then? Do you think they swung their swords and shields until they felled the evil entity?” She sighed.

Hop turned to Gloria and grinned. “What do you say, mate? Let’s show her the kinda heroic battle they had back then!”

Gloria grinned despite herself. “You’re on, mate!”

-x-

Cinderace fell over and Hop called him back with a smile on his face. In front of Gloria, Inteleon stood coolly with a hand on his hip. “The more things change, the more they stay the same,” Hop chuckled. Gloria returned his smile warmly and called Inteleon back, thanking him. The sibling Corviknights stayed out and pecked at each other, bickering. Hop’s Corviknight squawked as Gloria’s Corviknight shouldered him into the bath. Gloria punched Hop lightly in the shoulder as they laughed.

“That was really close, Hop. You just keep getting better and better!”

“Thanks, Gloria. That means a lot coming from you.”

“At the rate you two are going, Leon ought to watch out!” the assistant professor said cheerfully. “So, you two are heading to Spikemuth next, right? I’m thinking of looking more into the Slumbering Weald myself, see what I can piece together.”

“I still have to get my badge from Circhester, but after that I’ll be heading to Spikemuth right away!” Hop announced, confident in his abilities. “See ya!” He ran off to challenge the gym, leaving Gloria and Sonia in his dust. His Corviknight crowed as he flew over the duo to catch up to Hop. Gloria’s Corviknight huddled close to her trainer, missing her brother.

Sonia sighed and shook her head fondly. “Seems like he’s out of his funk. I was worried about him, and I know Leon was, too, even if he didn’t do much about it…” She sighed again. “I didn’t tell Hop about Leon’s lack of support back with Rose, by the way.”

“I figured,” Gloria said, petting Corviknight. “I feel like telling him that might just make his problem worse. Why doesn’t Leon mentor Hop more? It’s his younger brother!”

Sonia smiled sadly. “Leon’s a good guy, he’s just oblivious to anything outside of battling. He loves Hop, I know he does, but he’s so used to being the Champion and being a national symbol that he forgets that he’s also a big brother. It doesn’t excuse his neglect of Hop, but it’s one explanation, at least.”

Gloria crossed her arms and fidgeted. “I hope I don’t become like that should I get the Championship title.”

“And you won’t, not if you have people you love to pull you back.” Sonia’s eyebrows knitted in concern when Gloria looked away, tears in her eyes. “Hey, what’s wrong? Is it something I said?”

Gloria sniffed and rubbed her eyes. “I – well, I think I messed up real bad.” Gloria poured her heart out to Sonia about Marnie when she was pulled to sit on a bench in the corner of the room. Sonia rubbed her back when Gloria eventually broke into sobs by the end of her recounting, offering her a tissue to blow her nose. Corviknight lowered her head onto her lap and crowed softly. Gloria pat her head lightly, seeking comfort from her friend and Pokemon.

“Thanks,” Gloria said, her voice nasally from crying. “You’d make a great sister, Sonia.”

“I already am,” Sonia said warmly, tugging Gloria into a side hug. “Things will get better, Gloria, I promise. When Nessa and I started out, we went through some rough patches, too. All couples go through some kind of fight or disagreement. It’s totally natural.”

“What happened between you and Nessa?”

“Well, when we were younger and a few years after we’d finished our gym challenges, Nessa was offered a position as Gym Leader and I wanted to travel outside Galar. The long distance put a strain on our relationship, even when I came back to visit. I had to decide what I wanted after we had a huge fight about commitment and trust.”

“Trust?” Gloria echoed weakly. _Trust is what got me into this mess, or rather, the lack of it…_

Sonia nodded. “Don’t tell Hop this, but Leon has always had feelings for me, which made Nessa really uncomfortable, especially when we first started dating. Because I was always gone for long periods of time, she had it in her head that there was something else going on. She doesn’t think that way anymore, but when you’re young and in love it’s hard to be rational.”

Gloria’s hands tightened slightly. “Yea…”

“I chose Nessa, and I haven’t regretted it since.” Sonia’s whole body seemed to soften as she thought about her girlfriend. “You should tell her. You might not think it’s best, but you keeping things is probably very worrying for her. She obviously doesn’t want you to get hurt, especially if it’s related to something she has no idea about.”

The brunette nodded. “I see that now. I should have just told her and took whatever happened in stride. Hiding things is never the answer, even if you think you’re protecting the other person.” She wiped at her eyes and stood up, smiling down at Sonia. “Thank you.”

Sonia grinned and stood up. “Anytime. Now, I have some research to do, and you have a girl to win back!”

“Yes, ma’am!”


	22. Spikemuth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)))))))))))))))))))))))))

“Roselia!” Gloria cried out in shock, seeing her Pokemon slam against a boulder. The tiny rose pokemon staggered back up into a standing position, flinching in pain. Gloria turned her gaze angrily towards the Gapploct that taunted them with its stupid blue tentacles. She ran to her Pokemon and was about to return her to her ball when Roselia knocked it away. “Roselia?”

The Pokemon looked into Gloria’s eyes and she understood. They would fight this thing and take it down together. “Okay, let’s try this again. Use Razor Leaf!” The Grapploct, in its early victory celebration, took the hit and flexed its arms furiously as the sharp leaves left stinging cuts on its body. It used Octolock to aim and fired an Octazooka, Gloria and Roselia taking the hit head on and slamming back against the boulder, breaking right through it. She groaned in pain and stood up, holding her head.

Suddenly, a bright white light blinded her and she shielded her vision as Roselia changed shape. Even the Grapploct stopped attacking, wary of any surprises. _How is she evolving? Was there a Shiny Stone in the boulder?_

That seemed to be the only logical explanation as Roserade’s form stood sure and strong in front of her. Without waiting for further instruction, Roserade rushed forward and delivered a devastating knock out blow to the Grapploct. The Magical Leaf cut right through it and sent it flying back into the sea. Roserade then collapsed from exhaustion, but Gloria caught her before she could hit the ground.

“You were absolutely amazing, Roserade. Thank you, now get some rest.” Gloria recalled her Pokemon and stood up, surveying her surroundings. She checked the map on her phone and noted that she wasn’t too far from Spikemuth now. She was lucky she had received that upgrade to her bike from that doctor she had saved near the start of her journey. Thanks to him, she could glide across the water with ease.

Gloria surfed the waters until she finally reached thawed land. She packed up her bike and continued on foot. She went up a steep slope and arrived at a crossroad. Checking her map again, she saw that Spikemuth was to her left. Upon closer inspection, she saw that a small crowd had gathered in front of what appeared to a closed gate. _That’s weird… is the city going through a shutdown?_

She made to approach the crowd to ask what was happening when a hand shot out and dragged her into a bush. The figure covered her mouth with one hand and used the other to pin her arms to her sides. She struggled and came close to slamming her head back when she was dropped unceremoniously. She stood up quickly, enraged and sliding into Postwick mode, but when she looked up all protests died in her throat.

“Marnie?” Gloria whispered softly, eyes wide. Marnie shuffled uncomfortably as she turned her head to the side, closing her eyes and sighing. She faced forward and crossed her arms.

“Hey…”

“H-hey?!” Gloria sputtered. “You basically kidnap me and all you say is _hey_?!”

Marnie blushed and frowned. “I didn’ _kidnap_ ya. I’m showin’ ya the way in.”

“And you couldn’t have done that normally because…?”

“Do ya wanna get in there or not?” Marnie snapped impatiently.

Gloria stared at her in silence, torturous thoughts running through her head. When Marnie sighed and turned to leave, she jumped and grabbed her wrist. “Marnie, wait – we need to talk.”

“There’s nothin’ to talk ‘bout,” she mumbled, trying to snatch her wrist back. Gloria held on tighter.

“Marnie.” She tried to inject as much desperation as she could into her voice. “Please. I’m sorry, I want to talk and I don’t want to hide things from you.”

Marnie relaxed and glanced at her. “Yea? You’re not pullin’ my leg, right?”

“I promise, I _swear_.”

“If you can beat me in a battle, we’ll talk.” Marnie pulled her wrist away when Gloria’s grip loosened and faced her properly. Gloria felt naked under her sharp gaze. “Well?”

The brunette cleared her throat. “Sure. But I’m not going easy on you.”

“That’s all I want.”

They faced each other and Gloria had Ninetails go up to face Marnie’s Liepard. Marnie pre-emptively started with Fake Out, causing Ninetails to flinch, but Gloria held strong and continued with a Will-O-Wisp to weaken Liepard’s attack and stamina. Liepard followed Ninetails’ Flamethrower with a Torment, causing Gloria to click her tongue.

“This isn’t goin’ to be easy, love,” Marnie said, smirking.

Gloria stayed quiet, not sure if it was okay to say anything back yet, so she offered a smile instead. “Ninetails, Fire Spin!” The damage from Will-O-Wisp, Fire Spin and Flamethrower proved too much and Liepard fainted. Marnie called her back and released her Scrafty, who unleashed a Retaliate attack causing massive damage to Ninetails and knocking her out.

Gloria couldn’t help herself this time. “Cheeky, ain’t ya.” She sent out her Corviknight, who cawed loudly. “Brave Bird!” Corviknight drove Scrafty’s health down to a sliver, but also took recoil damage. Scrafty shakily stood up and used Drain Punch, restoring some vitality, but it was not enough to withstand an Air Slash.

Marnie sent out Morpeko, who squeaked upon seeing Gloria and Corviknight, but soon was ready to battle. Corviknight tried to pin her down with Peck but Morpeko scurried too fast and was too small for her to contact. Morpeko eventually got close enough to land a point-blank Electric Aura Wheel attack, knocking Corviknight out.

“So it’s gonna be like that, huh?” Gloria mumbled. She sent out Lucario, who made a noise of protest upon seeing that he had to battle Morpeko, but otherwise did not steer away. “Lucario, get close and use Bone Rush.”

“’Peko, use Spark!” Lucario grunted in surprise when Morpeko landed a full-bodied Spark against him, luckily not paralyzing, but he quickly swept the Pokemon into his Bone Rush attack. Morpeko fell over from exhaustion and Marnie called her back into her ball. She sent out Toxicroak next and quickly commanded a Brick Break, which Lucario took head on so that he could deliver another Bone Rush, felling Toxicroak quickly, too.

Marnie’s final Pokemon was a Morgrem, causing Gloria to flinch from her memories of the Glimwood Tangle. This hesitation gave Marnie enough time to launch a knock out Low Kick, sweeping Lucario’s legs right out from under him. Marnie glanced up at Gloria, worry in her eyes.

Gloria exhaled slowly and tried to calm her heart. _It was just a dream, relax…_ She sent out Inteleon, knowing that Roserade was probably still not at her best just yet. Morgrem didn’t stand a chance against her oldest and strongest Pokemon as his Snipe Shot proved too powerful for his defenses. Gloria breathed a sigh of relief as the battle ended, glad it was over. She recalled her Inteleon and glanced up to see Marnie walking towards her with determination in her eyes.

She nearly burst into tears when the woman hugged her tightly, arms around her waist. Gloria wrapped her arms around her neck and buried her nose against Marnie’s collar. She found comfort in the familiar scent of leather and whatever perfume Marnie wore. She sniffed and nuzzled in further when Marnie tried pulling back, tightening her arms.

“Can we just stay like this for a bit? I missed you so much,” Gloria mumbled, feeling very exposed. Marnie dropped a kiss on her forehead and Gloria felt like everything would be okay, finally.

“Let’s go somewhere a li’l more private.”

-x-

After healing their Pokemon at the Pokemon centre, Marnie led Gloria through the dark and damp streets of Spikemuth, their hands clasped tight and their shoulders close. Gloria looked around at the desolate state of affairs, the sharp and dark buildings contrasting against the neon lights. She bumped into Marnie when she stopped suddenly in front of a shoddy-looking building. Marnie pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the gate covering the front door. She led them into the building and up several flights of stairs until they finally reached a nondescript door with no number on the front.

“Home sweet home,” Marnie mumbled. Gloria blinked.

“You live here?”

“Born ‘n raised.”

“Oh. Why didn’t this ever come up in conversation?”

“You never asked,” Marnie shrugged. “And I didn’ think it was important to mention at the time.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’ be. C’mon, let’s get you somethin’ to eat and drink. You look awful.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Marnie simply smiled and dropped their hands to unlock the door and push it open. Gloria was ashamed to say that she was surprised to see it clean, but upon closer inspection, it looked a little messy but unused. It was cozy but not too small. The foyer opened up to a living room, where instrumental equipment laid around. Sheet music and beer bottles littered the coffee table in the centre. The living room narrowed into a hallway with two doors on the left and right and one door at the end. They took their shoes off and entered the flat proper. Marnie led her into the kitchen and sat her down at a table with a glass of water. She poked around her phone until she finished and joined Gloria at the table, sitting opposite her.

“Food should be arrivin’ soon, hope you’re not too hungry…”

Gloria put her glass down after taking a healthy gulp. “Marnie, you didn’t have to.”

“I want to.” Marnie sighed. “We really messed this up, didn’t we?”

Gloria looked down guiltily. “No, it’s totally my fault. I shouldn’t have kept things from you.”

Marnie reached across the table and grabbed her hand, rubbing her thumb across her knuckles. “You weren’t wrong when you brought up my brother. Truth is, I didn’ wanna talk ‘bout it ‘cause I was afraid you’d think differently of me…”

Gloria frowned. “Marnie, I would never—”

“I know that now,” she interrupted. She blushed, her eyes wide. “Sorry, I jus’ don’ wanna rehash this after the row I had with Piers.”

“Who?”

“Piers,” Marnie repeated, smiling. “My brother, the Spikemuth gym leader.”

Gloria’s jaw dropped. “Your brother’s the gym leader here? Wicked!” Her eyes widened in realization. “So, does that mean I have to battle him? Did you battle him?”

“I got my badge already, and yes, you will have to battle him at some point.” Marnie fidgeted nervously. She sighed again. “Gloria, I’m so sorry for everythin’—”

Gloria stood and leaned across the table to interrupt Marnie by kissing her, but accidentally knocked the glass over, spilling water all over the table and Marnie. “Oh my Arceus – that was a lot smoother in my head, I promise.” Gloria tried to dry off the table and Marnie with a stack of paper towels, blushing heavily, when Marnie burst out laughing. Gloria stopped moving in shock. This was the first time she had heard Marnie laugh and it made her fall in love with her all over again.

“C’mere you,” Marnie whispered fondly as her laughing subsided. She pulled Gloria to straddle her lap and cradled her face, angling her down for a kiss that quickly heated up. Gloria put her hands on Marnie’s shoulders to steady herself and shuddered when she felt arms encircle her waist. Marnie inched her fingers under Gloria’s shirt when the doorbell rang, startling them both. Gloria stood from her lap and tried to run to the door to pay for the food, but Marnie grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to sit. “Stay. It’s already paid for.”

When Marnie left to answer the door, Gloria tried to calm her racing heart, feeling simultaneously giddy and terrified. She knew they still had a lot to talk about, but she had so much hope in her heart. Marnie came back with a box of pizza and set it in front of Gloria, taking a seat beside her. They ate in comfortable silence, Gloria happy to have a pizza for once and not curry.

When they finished, Marnie took her to the living room, and they sat on a couch not covered by sheets of music. They sat with their legs criss-crossed, facing each other. “You play?” Gloria asked, looking around. Marnie shook her head. She pointed at a poster half torn down on the wall. Gloria could make out a tall, lanky man with long spiky black and white hair up in a ponytail, singing his heart out on a stage.

“No, this is all Piers. He’s the lead singer an’ guitarist in his band, _Spikemuth Metal_. When he’s not in the gym he’s playin’ his music.” Marnie looked proud as she said this, which made Gloria smile. She looked around again and noted the absence of photos.

“So, it’s just you and Piers here, then?”

Marnie nodded. “My ma an’ pa died when I was young. Don’ apologize,” she continued hurriedly, seeing Gloria’s face drop, “I hardly remember ‘em, anyway. Piers is the only family I have tha’ matters.”

She looked sad as she said this, so Gloria leaned over and kissed her. Marnie smiled into the kiss and returned it before pulling away. She brushed a lock of hair behind Gloria’s ear and looked into her eyes, searching for something. Gloria hoped she found it.

Gloria leaned back and exhaled slowly, squeezing Marnie’s hands. “I think it’s time I told you about everything… I just ask that you wait until the end before asking any questions, okay?” At Marnie’s nod, Gloria launched into the story of how she and Hop uncovered Rose’s strange obsession with energy in Galar. She spared no details, truthfully relaying everything and even showing her the threatening emails she had received from Oleana. She also went into what she and Hop had experienced in the Slumbering Weald, going into detail on the heroes’ legends and Sonia’s theories. When she finished, it had been well over an hour. Marnie looked deep in thought.

“So? Any thoughts on this craziness?” Gloria’s voice cracked slightly, so Marnie stood up and went to the kitchen to get her another glass of water. The brunette accepted it gratefully and made sure to empty it this time before setting it on the coffee table.

Marnie sighed. “’S’a lot to process, but it makes a lotta sense. I never really liked Rose, to be honest.”

“Right?” Gloria groaned. “I thought I was crazy when I told everyone he made me uneasy. Glad to know you feel the same.” She smiled. “We really do belong together.”

Marnie poked her cheek. “Sap.” She straightened and her face took on a more serious expression. “I have somethin’ else I gotta tell ya, now that we’re not hidin’ anythin’ from each other no more.”

Gloria tilted her head in confusion. “Huh? What is it?”

Marnie bit her lip and squeezed Gloria’s hands. “’Member, back in Motostoke after ya got your badge, I asked you ‘bout it over text?”

Gloria frowned but her eyes lit up. “Yea! It was right after me and Hop had escaped from Rose.”

Marnie nodded. “Right.” She paused. “Did ya ever wonder how the power went out?”

“Oh Arceus, that was all I could think about after I escaped,” she chuckled. “I even told Sonia that if I ever found this person I’d give ‘em a kiss.” Gloria blinked. “Wait…”

“There was no Bisharp,” Marnie admitted. “I lied ‘cause I wanted ya to think I was further in the Wild Area, when I was actually still ‘n Motostoke. I was gonna leave when I made sure you were safe.”

Gloria sat in stunned silence, not believing her luck. _How the hell did I manage to land someone like this?!_

“Gloria?”

“H-how?” Gloria stammered.

Marnie blushed. “W-well, I was gearin’ up to leave the city, but there was a bunch o’ wild Electric-type Pokemon causin’ a ruckus. ‘Peko thought it’d be fun ta chase after ‘em, so I followed ‘er to the docks. That’s when I saw you ‘n Hop go into that buildin’, then the Chairman ‘n Oleana right after that. I knew I had ta help, but I also knew I wasn’t strong enough to fight, so I cut the power with ‘Peko’s help ‘n hoped you could get away. That’s when I sent the message to make sure ya got outta there.” Marnie couldn’t hold onto Gloria’s amazed stare and glanced off to the side. “If ya didn’ get back to me, I woulda gone after—"

This time, Gloria landed the kiss without any water spillage, and Marnie moaned as she was pushed onto her back gently, Gloria crawling on top of her. They exchanged sloppy, open-mouthed kisses until air was needed, then Gloria moved down to her neck to leave a trail of wet kisses down the column. Marnie fisted her hands in Gloria’s hair when she sucked on her pulse point. “G-Gloria…”

Gloria raised her head to meet her half-lidded eyes with her own and grinned.

“I promised ya a big ol’ kiss, didn’t I?” She straightened and took off her sweater and undershirt. “And maybe you earned a little more…”

Marnie eyed her hungrily and followed suit as she sat up, shedding her leather jacket and pushing the straps of her dress down. She undid her pigtails, hair cascading behind her, and Gloria eagerly ran her hands through it, gently touching her shaved scalp.

“You’re beautiful…”

“Mm, says you…”

They locked gazes, brown against blue, before they met in the middle again in a heated embrace. Marnie then made a move to stand and they both stood up, still tangled together. She pushed her dress down and stepped out of it while Gloria unbuckled her belt. Marnie guided her away from the living room and down the hall, occasionally stopping to push her against a wall and run her hands down her body.

Finally, they reached Marnie’s goal: her bedroom. She led Gloria inside and the door clicked shut behind them quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If ya wanna know what happened that night, I wrote up [a lil somethin...](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24175114).


	23. Piers

Gloria woke slowly to the feeling of someone playing with her hair, twirling and twisting the strands and pulling lightly in a way that felt good. The memories of the previous night came to her in pieces, making her grin as she turned and opened her eyes to the sight of Marnie staring down at her, propped up on her elbow. Marnie caught her gaze and dropped the small braid she had made to lightly trace the contours of Gloria’s face with her fingers. She dipped her fingers down Gloria’s neck, her breasts and spread her palm flat against Gloria’s abdomen. The brunette’s heart stuttered as she bit her lip.

“You snore in your sleep. Didja know that?” Marnie whispered.

Gloria rolled her eyes. “Way to kill the mood.”

“Hmm?” Marnie smiled. “I thought you’d be all tired out after las’ night.” She leaned forward and kissed Gloria’s pout. “Hush.”

Gloria smiled into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around Marnie’s neck. She felt on top of the world right now. All she wanted was to stay in this bedroom and never leave. She rolled her over onto her back and sat up, straddling her stomach. She felt no shame when her eyes crawled up her body hungrily.

“I could go for seconds,” Gloria said, leaning forward and pressing her lips to Marnie’s. She pulled back, “and thirds,” another peck, pull back, “and fourths…”

Marnie trailed her nails lightly but firmly down Gloria’s back, delighting in her shudder. “Keep tha’ up and we’ll never finish this gym challenge.”

Gloria sat up, hair sticking out in all directions as she gazed down at Marnie. “Would that be so bad?” At Marnie’s sudden change in expression, she blinked. “Marnie?”

Marnie sighed and sat up to lean against the headboard. “Sorry, I forgot I didn’ tell you.” She pressed a kiss to Gloria to reassure her and pulled her closer. “’Bout why I’m doin’ the gym challenge.”

Gloria frowned and brought Marnie’s hands to her lips to press a kiss to her knuckles. “Why _are_ you doing the gym challenge? I’m only doing it to better myself as a Pokemon trainer, and because Hop roped me into it, but what about you?”

Marnie turned to look out the window. It was always dark in Spikemuth because of the dome over the city. It had been like this since before she was born. She hadn’t woken to a sunrise until she had left the city once with Piers for a holiday. “Spikemuth… is not as great as the other cities an’ towns you’ve been to, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. A lot of it is ‘cause we don’t have a Power Spot for our gym battles, so we get no tourism benefits from the gym season, unlike th’ other cities.”

Gloria nodded. “I guess that makes sense, yea, that people wouldn’t watch non-Dynamax battles.” At Marnie’s glare, she hurried to finish, “which is absolutely, totally wrong!”

Marnie smirked. “I’m jus’ messin’ with ya.” She pressed a kiss to Gloria’s forehead. “But yea, we get nothin’. An’ the Chairman dumps all his funds on the other cities, especially since they kiss ass to stay on his good side. Piers has a lil’ somethin’ called _integrity_ , which means we get fuck all fundin’.” She paused. “I never liked Rose from the start, which is why it was so easy for me to believe that behind his act, he’s a total prick.”

Gloria brushed Marnie’s hair behind her ear. “So why the gym challenge?”

“You probably don’ remember, since I don’ and Piers told me this, but Postwick was a bit of a shithole back then, too. Then Leon became Champion, and everyone an’ their mum wanted to visit the sleepy town that popped out a Champion.” Marnie paused. “If I can become Champion, then I can drag Spikemuth outta this hell…”

Gloria played with a strand of Marnie’s hair. “Makes my reason seem a little insulting, doesn’t it?” At Marnie’s questioning eyes, she elaborated. “Like, I’m doing this for reasons not as noble as you.”

Marnie shrugged. “I’m jus’ glad you did do it, otherwise…” She blushed and looked away from Gloria’s sparkling gaze.

“Oh c’mon Marnie, don’t get all shy on me now. You literally had your fingers in me last—”

“Hey, Marn, you still here—"

The door opened and Piers stood in the doorway, looking very annoyed at being in this situation. Gloria squeaked and tugged the sheets over her as she rolled off of Marnie, who simply crossed her arms and glared. Gloria’s eyes darted between the two, and finally Piers cleared his throat and shut the door.

“Make sure you’re bein’ safe!”

-x-

Two showers later (Gloria refused to share when she knew Piers was in the flat), the couple sat across from Piers at the kitchen table, who patiently sipped at a mug of coffee. Marnie imitated him stoically while Gloria fidgeted in her seat. She watched as they stared at each other, engaging in some kind of sibling telepathy she was not familiar with.

“I thought you said you were leavin’ to Hammerlocke to challenge Raihan?” Piers said.

“I had somethin’ important to do,” Marnie answered.

“Some _one_ ,” Piers corrected without skipping a beat, eyes flicking down to the bruise visible on Marnie’s neck. Gloria eep’ed and looked down, blushing heavily. Marnie looked mildly annoyed and glared. Piers sipped his coffee. He directed his gaze to Gloria, who met him evenly, albeit still blushing.

“Aren’t ya Gloria, the one Leon endorsed?” he asked.

“Uh, y-yea, me and his younger brother, Hop.”

“So you’ll be challengin’ my gym today?” At Gloria’s nod he sighed. “Ugh, what a drag.”

“Ignore ‘im,” Marnie interrupted, rolling her eyes and holding Gloria’s hand. “If he’s not performin’ in his band, it’s a _drag_ accordin’ to him.”

Piers shrugged, not denying it. “Come by whenever, I’ll be waitin’ for ya. Though I can’t promise you’ll get there in one piece.” At Marnie’s glance he sighed. “Team Yell.” Marnie nodded as though that explained everything. _It does, in a way,_ Gloria surmised.

Piers stood up and put his mug in the sink. When he turned to leave Marnie cleared her throat and he sighed and went to wash his mug. He put up his hand as a farewell when he left the flat, shutting the door behind him.

When she heard the door click, Gloria slumped in her seat. “He hates me.”

“He likes you.”

Gloria blinked and turned to Marnie. “What?”

“If Piers hated you, you’d definitely know it. He wouldn’t ‘ave even acknowledged your presence,” Marnie explained. She smiled slightly and pulled Gloria closer. “Not that it would sway me if he didn’t like ya…”

Gloria’s heart warmed and she pressed a kiss to Marnie’s cheek. “As sweet as that is, I’d prefer to get along with your family.” She checked her phone and sighed. “I should probably get going. I need to get this badge, then we can go to Hammerlocke and finish off this part of the League.”

“I’ll come watch your match,” Marnie said. “There’s no hurry to Hammerlocke.”

Gloria peeked at her beneath her eyelashes, suddenly shy. “Thank you.”

“I’m doin’ it purely to figure out a strategy to beat ya,” Marnie clarified. Gloria laughed and shoved her lightly.

-x-

Gloria felt weird fighting Team Yell in light of the new development between her and Marnie. On the one hand, she supported their goals fully despite the fact that they basically wanted her to drop out (or drop dead, she wasn’t sure sometimes). On the other hand, last night happened, and she didn’t know how they would react if they knew she defiled their idol. _Marnie would kill me if she heard my thoughts right now._

Lucario came back to her side after she dealt with the last grunt. The music that had been quietly thumping in the background at the start was now blasting loudly down the street. Marnie appeared from behind her and healed her team. Gloria murmured a quiet thanks and smiled. Team Yell parted when Marnie glared at them and made a path for Gloria to get to the battle terrain.

Compared with the grand stadiums of other cities, this terrain was abysmal. Not only was it small and had zero capacity to hold an audience, it was also poorly maintained. It was enclosed by a fence where people could spectate from safely. At the front was Piers, centre stage and jamming with other Team Yell members and Spikemuth citizens. He acted totally different on stage than in person. It was clear they adored him with how they sang along to his tunes. Gloria took a deep breath and went forward. She saw Marnie lean against the fence from the outside and took it as her cue to interrupt Piers.

He looked up after finishing a verse on his song and wrapped it up when he saw her. Finally, the music cut out and he put his microphone away. “Finally here, huh?” he sighed, stepping down from the stage. “Y’know, I don’ think of myself as that great a Gym Leader. An’ since we don’ Dynamax here, I wasn’ expectin’ anyone to come challenge me. But here you are.” He paused. “At least, I’m one part of the reason you’re here…a very, very small part.”

Gloria blushed as she remembered last night. “Oi, are we gonna battle or what?”

A microphone stand was thrown at Piers, which he caught deftly. He pulled it to his lips and started up a song as Team Yell members grabbed instruments on stage. “I’m Piers, the Dark-type expert! Let’s see what you can do, challenger!”

He sent out Scrafty first as Gloria let Lucario take centre stage. Lucario used Aura Sphere, which wasn’t enough to knock Scrafty out but did do significant damage. Scrafty immediately started with Swagger, confusing Lucario. He hit himself in confusion and seemed to be unable to snap out of it.

“Lucario!” Gloria tried, but it was no use. She watched in shock as Scrafty took Lucario down with a High Jump Kick. It then taunted her, Moxie boosting its attack. This was the first time one of her Pokemon was knocked out first and it shook her slightly. She slapped her cheeks lightly. _Wake UP, Gloria!_ She pulled the next pokeball from her belt, summoning Corviknight. “Air Slash!” Scrafty went down after that and Gloria exhaled slowly. _Too close!_

Malamar came out next, sizing up her Corviknight. “Hone Claws!” Piers grinned. “Topsy-Turvy!” The attack increase flipped to a decrease and Gloria clenched her teeth. _Okay, Piers, fine… let’s play it that way._ She recalled Corviknight and ignored his raised eyebrow as she sent out Inteleon. Inteleon took the hit from a Foul Play, bracing himself. “U-Turn!” Piers gasped and tried to call out a dodge but it was too late, the U-Turn landed and did quadruple damage on the Malamar, knocking it out. She sent out Corviknight again now that her stat changes were nulled.

Skuntank appeared next and Piers let it take an Air Slash before he called for Flamethrower. Corviknight screeched but stayed up, starving the flames of oxygen with her wings to put them out. She went in for another attack but stumbled back when Skuntank used a Sucker Punch. Both Pokemon panted heavily, and their next collision knocked them both out.

Gloria sent Ninetails out, a strategy forming in her mind. Piers let out his final Pokemon, Obstagoon. The Pokemon towered over Ninetails and glared down at her menacingly. She stood her ground, tails waving behind her.

“Will-O-Wisp!” Obstagoon grunted when the attack met the barrier of his Obstruct move. Gloria clenched her teeth but tried again, succeeding in afflicting him with a burn. Gloria didn’t care about the damage, she just wanted to lower his attack. His next attack was a Cross Chop that landed a critical hit, sending Ninetails to low health. Gloria ordered a Fire Blast, but it missed, and Ninetails was knocked out with a Snarl.

“Can you win without a Dynamax?” Piers taunted lowly, smirking. Gloria snapped her eyes up at him and exhaled through her nose. “Let’s see if you’re as good as they say!”

Inteleon was next, but Piers was ready for her U-Turn as he called out an Obstruct. When she tried it again, Obstagoon’s health lowered to a quarter, but Roserade took the brunt of a double powered Counter, knocking her out. Gloria’s hands began to tremble as she was faced with the very real possibility of losing. She couldn’t lose here, not with Marnie watching.

Inteleon came out again and stared the Obstagoon down. Piers watched her carefully, eyes peering over his microphone as he tapped his foot to the beat.

“Inteleon!”

“Obstagoon!”

The two Pokemon met in the middle and launched devastating attacks, blowing a cloud of dust in the air and obscuring the vision of all spectators. Gloria shielded her eyes and looked desperately as the dust settled to see Inteleon standing over Obstagoon’s prone form. She jumped for joy and hugged her partner close.

Piers approached her with a smile. “I don’ do encores, but I’ll be damned if I don’ get a battle with you again. That was pretty amazin’.” He handed her the Dark badge and shook her hand.

“T-thank you,” she stuttered. She smiled then sputtered when he lifted her arm up in front of the crowd.

“Listen up, punks! This here challenger is datin’ our li’l Marnie, and if any of ya give ‘er any trouble, you’ll hafta answer ta _me_ , got it?” Gloria’s mind blanked as she processed what he said. _What._

On her other side, Marnie appeared and took his microphone. “An’ me,” she said before she dropped it. She took Gloria’s arm from Piers and dragged her to the Pokemon centre. Gloria’s mind was still stuck on a 404 as her Pokemon were getting healed. Marnie plopped her on a stool at the café bar.

Marnie passed a hand down her back. “You okay?” She shuffled closer and dropped her hand to Gloria’s thigh. Gloria covered her hand with her own and exhaled slightly.

“Yea. I thought I was gonna lose back there. I’ve never felt like that before. Piers is really good at battling.”

“Yea, he is pro’bly the strongest gym leader they ‘ave.” At Gloria’s curious glance, she shrugged. “All of the other gym leaders Dynamax their Pokemon when they’re stuck, but Piers doesn’t and he still manages to beat them. The only one who poses a challenge to him, other than Leon, is Raihan.”

“Why doesn’t Piers Dynamax?” Gloria asked.

“Says it don’ feel right, like it’s a cheap shortcut. He’s more into the strategy an’ tactics of Pokemon battlin’.”

Gloria nodded, deep in thought as she looked at her and Marnie’s hands. _If I barely beat Piers, can I beat Raihan?_ She looked up when she felt a touch on her chin and stared into Marnie’s searching gaze.

“Gloria, you can beat Raihan. Don’ start doubtin’ yourself now…”

She exhaled sharply. “You’re right, I’m being stupid right now.” She squeezed Marnie’s hand and winked. “I’m so lucky to have such a loving and protective girlfriend.”

The raven-haired woman blushed and turned her gaze away but said nothing. Gloria’s phone rang, interrupting the moment, and she answered when she saw it was Hop.

“Hop? What’s up?”

_“Gloria, you have to get to Hammerlocke right now! There are Dynamaxed Pokemon everywhere!”_


	24. Shoulders of Giants

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Officially two-thirds of the way there! Thanks for reading and staying onboard :)

“What do you mean there are— oh, shit!” Gloria palmed her forehead, recalling Sonia’s warnings from a couple days ago. “Did you call Sonia?”

_“No, can you do that for me? I’m gonna try to call Lee. Meet me on Route 7, ‘k?”_

“Got it. Stay safe, Hop.” She hung up and turned to Marnie worriedly, who had already stood up and retrieved their Pokemon from Nurse Joy.

“What are we waitin’ for? Let’s go.” Gloria stood and they both exited the centre. They exited Spikemuth and Gloria dialled Sonia’s number as they hurried. She picked up after two rings, slightly out of breath.

 _“Gloria? What’s up?”_ Gloria heard what she thought were sheets rustling.

“Sonia! It’s bad. Hop just called me to say there are Pokemon Dynamaxing in Hammerlocke. What you warned Leon about is happening, right now!” Gloria squeezed Marnie’s hand for comfort and softened when she squeezed back. “Where are you?”

_“Arceus. I’m in Hulbury but I’ll be there soon as I can. I’ll bring Nessa with me, too. Did you contact Leon yet?”_

“No, Hop is doing that now. I’m meeting with him on Route 7, just outside of Hammerlocke.”

 _“Alright. I’ll take a Taxi and be there shortly. I’ll contact Raihan and see if he can start some emergency evacuation process with the other Gym Leaders. Stay safe.”_ Sonia hung up and Gloria exhaled slightly in relief. Things would be okay, they would evacuate the city and stop the Pokemon from rampaging. She heard Marnie tapping on her phone and turned to her. Marnie locked her phone and put it away.

“Piers is comin’, too. I jus’ messaged him and he’ll be there soon as he locks the gym up.”

“Good. We’ll need all the help we can get.”

“Gloria!” Gloria looked up to see a Charizard flying towards her, his tamer unmistakable. Leon jumped off Charizard’s back as soon as it landed and ran towards Gloria. “I just heard the news from Hop. Is he with you?”

“No,” Gloria replied, “but I’m going to meet up with him now. We’re gonna do our best to help!”

Leon frowned. “Gloria, please don’t take this the wrong way, but this is too dangerous for gym challengers to help with. Just focus on your gym challenge and let me take care of this.”

Gloria scowled. “What do you mean? There won’t be a gym challenge if we just let those Pokemon rampage around the city! You need all the help you can get to take them down. It’s not like we aren’t experienced with Dynamaxed Pokemon.”

Marnie crossed her arms. “The challengers who have made it this far are strong. I think we’re capable of handlin’ this.”

Leon looked tormented. “Gloria, as Champion it’s my responsibility to ensure your safety—”

Gloria, enraged, poked his chest. “Well, _Champion_ , can’t say I’m too impressed with your current work. You had every opportunity to prevent this but did nothing!” At Leon’s silence, she grew more furious. “Well?!”

Before Leon could answer her, Hop ran up to them, panting hard. “Great, you guys are here! We have to get going—” The earth shook as a loud explosion sounded in the distance. The four trainers stumbled slightly but regained their balance. Gloria glared at Leon and ran past him towards Hammerlocke, Marnie and Hop close behind. Up ahead, on the bridge, a Dynamaxed Zweilous roared and launched a Hyper Beam from its mouths erratically. It blew apart a section of the bridge, sending rubble everywhere, but it remained intact.

“Damn thing’s gonna kill itself,” a familiar voice mumbled. Gloria turned to see Piers, a bored look on his face as he crossed his arms.

“Hey, glad you made it,” Gloria said. Piers nodded in acknowledgement. He motioned with his chin and Gloria turned again to see a familiar white-haired boy jumping away from Zweilous’ Crunch. She frowned. “Is that—”

“Bede!” Hop yelled, running forward. Bede turned around slightly, the Rapidash in front of him going up on her hind legs to launch a Dazzling Gleam against the giant in front of her. “We’re here to help!”

Bede said nothing but nodded, turning back to his opponent. Hop sent out Snorlax and Marnie and Gloria joined them with Grimmsnarl and Lucario, respectively. Marnie glanced back at her brother.

“We’ll distract ‘im so you an’ the Champ can go in and help the others.”

“Got it. Let’s go, Piers.” Leon climbed onto his Charizard and had Piers sit behind him, and the two left further into the city. One of Zweilous’ heads tried to chomp on Charizard but Lucario’s Aura Sphere caught its attention as it made contact with its side.

The four trainers braced themselves as Zweilous roared and launched a terrific assault. Its two heads fought to tear into the opposing Pokemon. Lucario rushed forward with a Bone Rush and Grimmsnarl used Spirit Break. Snorlax took the brunt of the attacks and tanked them with his massive stamina and defenses. Bede provided support with Rapidash’s Misty Terrain and Heal Pulse. The four worked together flawlessly as they weakened the Zweilous to the point where it could be captured. Gloria quickly rushed to launch an enlarged ultra ball at it and they all held their breaths as it landed on the bridge and shook. When the capture was confirmed, Hop sagged in relief and Gloria went to pick up the normal-sized ultra ball.

“It’s over…” she said, suddenly feeling exhausted. Marnie went up to her and trailed her hand down her arm to grab her hand. Gloria smiled at her but jumped when Hop let out what sounded like a garbled cry. She turned to see him pointing at their hands, a surprised look on his face. Beside him, Bede crossed his arms and smirked. She giggled and pulled Marnie closer.

“Uh, Hop… I have something to tell ya…”

-x-

The other rampaging Pokemon were quickly subdued with the help of the other Gym Leaders and Leon. Gloria and the others waited in the centre square of Hammerlocke as Sonia debriefed the Gym Leaders on the current situation in the city. Due to their quick actions, there had been no fatalities, but a lot of infrastructure was damaged and some of the civilians were injured. They all had solemn expressions on their faces, but Leon looked like the picture of guilt. Gloria turned to Hop and Marnie, Bede off to the side in thought.

“You guys think Rose knows about this?” she whispered. Hop glanced at Marnie and Gloria rolled her eyes. “She knows, Hop. I told her everything.”

Hop sighed. “Maybe? I don’t know, I haven’t seen him since I got back to town. Do you think they’ll cancel the gym challenge now?”

“Cancel the gym challenge? What utter nonsense!” the voice behind them sent shivers up Gloria’s spine. She turned to see Rose in his usual grey suit, stroking his beard, Oleana close behind him. “Why would we resort to such drastic measures when the problem has been solved?”

“It could happen again, Chairman,” Gloria argued. “Is it really worth taking the chance?”

“It will not happen again, I can assure you,” Rose replied. “It was merely a slip up on our end. Who knew that Dynamax Pokemon could escape their dens and enter civilization like that?”

“What? That’s not what happened. There’s a Power Spot—”

“Such senseless conspiracy theories are unbecoming of Pokemon League gym challengers, wouldn’t you say?” Rose interrupted, a large smile on his face. Gloria stepped back unconsciously as he leaned forward. “Official investigations have revealed that Pokemon escaped from nearby dens. Case closed.”

Gloria could say nothing as he stepped past her and approached the group of Gym Leaders, likely to repeat the same thing. She hoped Sonia wouldn’t explode from rage. Oleana fixed her with a cold glare, then shifted her gaze to Marnie when she narrowed her eyes at the woman. She turned her nose up and followed Rose closely. Hop gripped her shoulder tightly. “Mate…”

“I know, Hop,” Gloria mumbled. “It’s fucked.”

“I want to know everything,” Bede said, approaching them from behind. Gloria and Hop turned to him in shock. Bede pressed his lips into a thin line. “After spending the last few days with Ms. Opal, I have come to learn more about the Chairman’s unusual… methods. I have been blinded by my devotion to the man who took me under his wing, but I understand now that he has been nothing but a manipulator.”

“Bede…” Hop said, face softening. “I know it’s hard for you to do this, but are you sure you want to know everything?”

“Everything.”

-x-

_A couple hours later…_

The three gym challengers and the Gym Leader-in-training sat at a small diner on the outskirts of Hammerlocke that was luckily still open. Gloria sipped at her tea as Marnie cradled her mug of coffee in her hands. Opposite them, Bede swirled a spoon inside his latte and Hop traced the rim of his teacup. They had just finished recounting their entire journey to Bede, who had been frowning since the conclusion to their story. Hop put a hand on his shoulder and Bede lifted his head slightly, turning to him with a small smile.

“This is very… disconcerting to learn, and rather overwhelming to take in all at once,” Bede said, putting the spoon down. He paused, struggling to find the right words, then sighed. “I am ashamed that I fell for it so easily.”

“You couldn’t ‘ave known,” Marnie said, surprising Gloria. “Rose knows how to charm people into followin’ him. Plus, you were jus’ a kid when he took ya in. How were ya s’posed to know the bloke was a twat?”

Bede shifted uncomfortably. “Even knowing all this, I still have this intense urge to defend him.”

“That’s normal,” Hop reassured him. “This is all happening too fast. I wouldn’t expect you to get over this right away.”

Bede nodded. “So, what are you planning on doing about this? You have some plan, right?”

Gloria shared a look with Hop. “Uh… no, we don’t.” She shrugged. “I’ve been playing it by ear mostly, but I have no idea where to look or what to do.” She laughed lightly. “It’s not like he has a secret base we can invade and thwart his plans. And after we broke into his lab in Motostoke, I bet he’s beefed up security everywhere.” She paused, tapping the table with a finger in thought. “The biggest issue with him is he is so ambiguous and grey, morally.” Hop tilted his head in confusion, and she stumbled over her words slightly. “Like, he’s hard to pin down, ya know?”

“Any attack on him would be seen as unprovoked and unjustified,” Bede explained, nodding. “He’s a hero to the average Galarian.”

“Right! What we need is hard proof that his intentions are malicious. We also need to find out exactly what his plans are. So far, all we know is that he’s concerned about Galar’s energy, but we have no idea why. It could be purely because he wants to provide more power to the region, but the way he’s going about it just rubs me wrong.”

“Him hurting Pokemon for his goals is too much,” Hop said quietly, narrowing his eyes. “I just wish Lee would do something about this.”

“I don’t know what is up with Leon, Hop,” Gloria sighed. “He really looks like he wants to help, but it feels like he’s on Rose’s side.” Marnie cleared her throat and Gloria turned to her, glancing down at her phone when she placed it in front of her. Her eyebrows raised in shock. “The hell?”

On her phone was a recent article detailing the events of the day. _The Daily Rookidee_. It showed a magnificent image of Leon and his Charizard standing in front of what appeared to be a felled Dynamax Perrserker. His arms were crossed as he beamed at the camera, Charizard standing stoically behind him. _Unbeatable Champion Saves the Day! Invasion of Hammerlocke Thwarted by Leon and Charizard._

“This was posted an hour ago. They sure don’ waste time in Rose’s PR wing,” Marnie commented, showing Hop and Bede the article. “They don’ mention anyone ‘cept Leon, and they only interview Rose ‘bout the attack. Ya can guess what he said, I bet.”

Gloria groaned and slumped forward. “Ugh, I hate that jerk. Sure, don’t mention us, but at least mention the other Gym Leaders who helped stop the attack!”

“It’s like he’s intentionally tryin’ to boost Leon’s image,” Marnie pointed out. “Have ‘im up as this bigger-than-life character who will always be there to save ‘em no matter what.”

“Lee’s the strongest trainer I know!” Hop argued. “He’s been Champion for ten years. As far as Galar is concerned, he _is_ the best we have, and he _can_ save us from anything.”

“No one’s fighting you on that, Hop,” Gloria said. “She’s just saying that it’s weird that Rose is feeding this story when everyone already knows Leon’s the strongest.”

“What if he isn’t?” Bede suggested offhandedly. Hop turned to him angrily.

“What do you mean?!”

Bede exhaled slightly through his nose, then combed his hair back. “Maybe Leon is the strongest trainer in all of Galar, maybe even all of Galarian history, but what if he isn’t? What if Rose is doing all this in case if, _no, when_ , something big goes down, a huge panic doesn’t erupt. Can you imagine what would happen if a huge crisis occurred and we didn’t have someone like Leon to save us?”

Hop shook his head. “But Lee did take down that Perrserker. There’s no lie there.”

“We don’t know if he had help from the others, Hop. It could have been a team effort,” Gloria countered. “Plus, he could have prevented this whole thing from happening in the first place if he took a stand against Rose.”

“Oh, so now you’re turning on him, too, Gloria? He gave you your first Pokemon!”

“I’m not turning on anyone!” Gloria exclaimed, throwing her hands up. “And him giving me Sobble doesn’t excuse any of his actions. I’m allowed to criticize the poor decisions being made by our Champion!”

“I can’t sit here and listen to this shit about my brother,” Hop said furiously, standing up. “I’m leaving.”

“Wait Hop—”

“Save it, Gloria.” Hop left the diner. Bede sighed then stood up.

“I will go speak with him. We seem to have an understanding at the moment, even if he might be upset with me right now.” He scribbled on a napkin then handed it to Gloria. “If you require my assistance, please let me know.” He left the diner as well.

Gloria put her palms to her eyes and groaned loudly. Marnie put her hand on her thigh and sighed. “There’s nothin’ you coulda done, Gloria. Hop looks up to his brother and will defend him no matter what. It’s the same with me an’ Piers.”

Gloria lowered her hands. “I know. I just wish I could explain to Hop how I feel without sounding like a huge jackass. He probably thinks I have it out for Leon now, when really I’m just concerned. What if Rose is blackmailing him? We ought to know if the strongest trainer we have is in the pocket of the Chairman. Not just for Galar’s sake, but for Leon’s, too.”

Marnie leaned forward and rested her cheek on Gloria’s shoulder. “Just give ‘im time. He’s your best mate, yea? He’ll come ‘round to talk to ya again. For now, we gotta focus on the gym challenge. Raihan’s next. He won’t stand a chance.”

Gloria put her arm around Marnie and grinned. “You’re damn right.”

-x-

Hop rubbed the tears from his eyes as he sat on the broken bridge, one leg pulled up to his chest and the other hanging over the ledge. He picked up a piece of broken concrete and tossed it over the bridge. The view of the mountains before Wyndon was beautiful in the glow of the moon. In the distance, he could see the lights of the Ferris wheel turn and Rose tower glowed ominously on the horizon. The strong light beams of Wyndon stadium moved across the sky, eager to attract audiences new and old.

He heard footsteps behind him but ignored them, thinking they were just workers or citizens taking a walk. He jumped slightly when someone sat next to him and turned his head to see Bede staring ahead.

“You do realize Gloria is on your side, correct? And by extension, she is also on your brother’s side.”

Hop turned his head forward and closed his eyes. “Just leave me alone.”

“No.” Bede paused for a second. “I am here for you, just as you were for me.”

Hop sighed. “Bede, you don’t have to do this.”

“I want to.” Hop felt a hand on his shoulder. “You are by far the kindest person I have ever met. Your heart is too big and too pure to shoulder the burden of this sadness alone. Let me help.”

Hop lifted his head and stared at Bede, his eyes flicking from Bede’s purples irises down to his lips and back up in a flash. Bede didn’t notice and continued, looking into Hop’s eyes directly.

“Not too long ago, I was in your shoes, refusing to believe that the man I called father was directly responsible for some abhorrent situations. Though Leon is nothing like Rose, I do understand the disappointment and shame you are feeling at experiencing a disconnect between what you think of Leon and who he is.” Bede sighed. “There’s still too much we don’t know. All Gloria and I are saying is that maybe Leon is being played and manipulated by Rose. Is that hard to believe, in light of everything?”

Hop bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut. “No. It’s not hard to believe. But I don’t want to think about how that sleazy man is playing my brother like a puppet. Lee is my hero. I’ve looked up to Lee since I was a little boy. He’s the one who taught me how to catch Pokemon – I caught Wooloo with him by my side – and beating him for the Champion’s title has been my goal for the longest time. An’ I know he doesn’t mean to and that he loves me, but I just wish he would stop being the Champion for a bit and go back to being my brother. It’s selfish, I know, but I just want Lee back.” Hop opened his eyes and gazed up at the moon, feeling strangely calm. “I miss him so much.”

“Is that why you want the title of Champion? To get his attention?” Hop shook his head.

“No, though part of it is that, I really do want to be the best in the region.” He hesitated. “Honestly, I just want it for the sake of wanting it, which probably doesn’t sound that great.”

“It doesn’t matter to me why you want it, but you should at least know for yourself what your driving force is.” Bede exhaled slowly. “You must understand that we want to help him, but in order to do that, we have to accept that he’s not perfect and that he can and will make mistakes. Intentionally or not.” Bede retracted his hand and placed it between them. “Like me.”

Hop’s eyes watered again and he sniffled. “I’m sorry. I should apologize to Gloria, too. I didn’t mean to snap like that. I just thought…”

“I’m sure she understands.”

Hop smiled shakily. “Yea. That’s my best mate for ya.” He blew out a long breath. “Thank you.”

Bede smiled, stirring a deep feeling in Hop’s chest. “It’s not a problem.”

They sat in silence, staring out at the landscape. The moon grew higher in the sky, illuminating the mountains and the wilds with its silvery glow. Hop struggled internally with his desires and thoughts, plagued by his inhibition. He snuck glances at Bede, who seemed unperturbed and deep in thought. Hop took a deep breath and gathered his courage. “Hey, Bede?”

The boy turned to him and blinked. Hop leaned forward and pressed his lips against his, shocking Bede as he twitched back. “What—”

“O-oh—so sorry!” Hop scrambled to his feet, eyes wide. “I-I thought—Never mind!” Hop quickly turned and ran away into the city. Bede tried to stand and call for him, but he was too slow and rapidly lost sight of him in the darkness.

Bede pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. “Ugh. I am such an idiot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ I wrote smut for just before Nessa and Sonia get interrupted by Gloria's phone call :)))](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24515569) Enjoy!!


	25. Raihan

Gloria slowly came to consciousness as the first rays of morning light shone across her face. She squeezed her arms around the body in front of her, smiling goofily. She opened her eyes to see Marnie sleeping and snoring lightly. _Huh, she snores too!_

She leaned back a bit to check the clock on the nightstand and saw that it was still early morning and plopped back down. Rose had refused to postpone the gym challenge thus Raihan was still accepting challengers. She wanted to get it over with right away so she could begin preparations for the tournament. She knew she would have to prepare alone, otherwise she’d be giving all her secrets away to her rivals. _We might be together but we’re still competing against each other…_ The thought saddened Gloria but she knew it would only be a temporary split.

“Starin’ at a sleepin’ lady, huh, a right creep ya are…”

Gloria giggled when she met Marnie’s eyes. “I like what I see. Can you blame a girl for wanting to look?”

“Take a photo then, trust it’ll last ya longer.”

“Is that an offer? You know I can’t refuse.”

“’Twas a promise.” At Gloria’s blush and silence, Marnie chuckled. “Dish it but can’t take it, yea?”

Gloria sat up and stretched, aware that she was giving a show to the woman behind her. She peeked over her shoulder at Marnie, who met her gaze evenly. She only had a few seconds to adjust to being quickly pulled down, Marnie on top of her and pressing their lips together. Gloria pulled away, slightly out of breath.

“Wait… Raihan… gym… today,” she said, gasping between words when Marnie went for her collarbone.

“He can wait.”

-x-

The couple exited the hotel and made their towards Hammerlocke stadium. They bumped into Hop, who fidgeted nervously around Gloria. He rubbed the back of his neck and averted his eyes from her. Gloria’s heart broke at seeing him so nervous around her.

“Hop? Can we talk?” she asked softly. She looked over at Marnie, who nodded and let her hand go to lean against a wall out of earshot.

Hop rubbed his eyes and sighed. “Sure. I’m sorry about last night. I know you care about Lee but I let my anger get to me. I’ll try to be better and listen to you next time.”

“That’s okay, Hop, it’s all water under the bridge. I’m sorry, too, for saying all that stuff and not thinking about how it made you feel.” She opened her arms up for a hug. “Friends?”

Hop laughed and stepped into her embrace. “Always, mate.” He pulled back and punched her shoulder lightly. “Headin’ off to Raihan with the lady, eh? Weird date if ya ask me.”

Gloria giggled and shrugged. “Well, we wanna get it done soon as possible. You heading off to Spikemuth?”

Hop nodded. “Yup! Gonna take Piers down and get my Dark badge! I’ll let you know when I get my Dragon badge and we can meet up one more time before we go off to train.”

“Sounds good.” Gloria paused a bit, remembering more from last night. “Hey, did Bede talk to you last night? It seems like it helped.”

She was not expecting Hop’s eyes to widen and for his cheeks to light up with a suspicious blush. “U-uh, well… ahem, we did, uh, talk. But that’s it. Nothing else. Stop smiling! I’m tellin’ ya we just talked!”

Gloria continued smirking and crossed her arms. “Uh huh.”

Hop threw his hands in the air. “Ugh, fine! I kissed him but he didn’t kiss me back and then I ran away! Happy?”

Gloria blinked, dropping her arms slowly. “What? Why? I thought…”

“I thought so, too… I ruined everything.” Gloria’s eyes softened and she put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Hop, you still have a chance. I thought I ruined everything with Marnie, too, but after talking to her we sorted it out.” She briefly explained to Hop what had happened and he sighed.

“You might be right, but I’m not ready to talk just yet. Maybe later.” He straightened and checked his phone. “Anyway, I have to get going. See ya! And good luck.” He ran off and waved to Marnie on the way, who waved back slightly.

Marnie rejoined her and gave her a questioning look. Gloria explained what happened and Marnie nodded slowly. “Dunno much ‘bout Bede, but he doesn’t seem like the type to hide his true feelings. Could all be a misunderstandin’.”

“That’s what I think, too.” Gloria grinned and swung their arms between them. “Can you read my mind? Oh! What am I thinking right now?”

“Hmm.” Marnie smiled. “’bout how much ya wanna beat Raihan before me?”

Gloria laughed. “Oh no, this is dangerous. I need a Psychic Pokemon to guard my thoughts from you.”

“Hey, Gloria!” Sonia waved at them as they approached the stadium. Gloria smiled and waved back. When the couple approached her, she gave Gloria a discreet wink after glancing at Marnie. Nessa stood beside her with her arms crossed, a stoic look on her face. On Sonia’s other side, Leon stood with a grin that faded upon seeing her.

“Hey, everyone. We had quite a scare yesterday, huh?” Gloria joked, hoping to alleviate some of the tension between her and Leon. The Champion smiled slightly and relaxed.

“It was a close call,” he said. “Thank you for your help! We had a Champion time for sure!”

“I can’t believe that Pokemon could Dynamax in the middle of the city,” Nessa said, looking around. “Makes me worried about Hulbury and other cities, too.”

“Least Spikemuth won’ have a problem,” Marnie said. Sonia hummed at that and nodded.

“On our way here, we saw a bright red light from the Energy Plant,” Sonia recounted. “At first I thought it was unrelated, then another Pokemon came out of the blue in the middle of the city. I called Gran right away and she seemed super worried. She’s meeting with the Chairman now.” Sonia clicked her tongue in frustration. “There is something going on in that plant and I want to know what it is. I don’t buy his official story at all.”

Gloria had been looking at Leon as Sonia spoke, which is why she was able to catch him swallowing heavily and glancing away. _What does he know?_

Nessa sighed. “At least it’s all over now. Raihan’s going to have his hands full organizing the clean up.”

“Speaking of Raihan,” Leon interrupted, glad for a way out of the conversation. “Are you two heading to challenge him now?”

Gloria nodded. “Yea, the sooner the better. I need to start preparing for the tournament.”

Leon chuckled. “Of course! He should be in there, whenever you’re ready. I’ll be around town to help with reconstruction. Good luck!” He dashed off towards the construction zone, leaving the women to chat.

“He knows something,” Nessa commented, unimpressed. “Why is he hiding it from us? From you, Sonia?”

The assistant professor sighed. “I have no idea. He’s been acting weird ever since I detected the Power Spot here. I don’t know what’s up with him or how to get him to talk. I’ve tried, trust me. We’ll just have to wait until he’s ready. All I can do now is keep up with my research and see if I can discover something helpful along the way.”

“I’m going to head back to Hulbury. Keep me updated, okay?” Nessa leaned forward and kissed Sonia’s cheek. She left, presumably to find a Taxi. Sonia simply smiled and turned to the two challengers.

“Good luck you two. Raihan’s no pushover, so make sure you give it all you got!”

Gloria turned to Marnie and smiled. “Let’s do this, yea?”

-x-

Gloria nervously pulled on her jersey as she and Marnie waited in the lobby of the vault. The referee had told them to go there and wait their turn in their uniforms. What could Raihan possibly have in mind as a challenge here? Some kind of Galarian history quiz? Ballonlea quickly came to mind, which she tried to get rid of as hard as possible.

“Hey, relax,” Marnie mumbled, pulling Gloria to sit beside her. “You’ll be okay, love. Don’ stress so much.”

“Sorry,” Gloria sighed. She ran her hands through her hair and bit her lip. “I just don’t know what to expect. What if he quizzes us on history or something? I didn’t study!”

“He’s not gonna quiz us.”

“How do you know that?”

Marnie rolled her eyes. “Call it intuition.” She glanced up when Raihan descended the stairs. “Looks like you’re up. Good luck.” She pecked Gloria’s cheek, which made her smile and return it. Gloria stood and approached Raihan, who grinned widely upon seeing her.

“Well if isn’t Leon’s protégé number two! First, being Hop, of course.” He gestured to the stairs. “Up to the vault, let’s go!”

He pulled his phone out and snapped a selfie of him going up the stairs with Gloria behind him. He turned to her and smiled. “You don’t mind, right?” Gloria shrugged. “Great!” He scrolled through his phone as they walked. “You know there are ten challengers left, right?” He turned to see Gloria’s shocked expression. “I know! Most of ‘em get stuck at Kabu, then the next wave can’t make it past Piers.” He grinned toothily, looking slightly draconic. “Half of the rest don’t make it past me.”

Gloria gulped and exhaled shakily. _I can do this! I’ve made it this far._

They entered the vault, which looked exactly as Gloria remembered it. The tapestries were illuminated by the natural sunlight from above. At the far end of the room, three trainers in Dragon uniforms stood rigidly and silently. _Gym trainers. Are we going to battle?_

Raihan stopped in front of them and put a hand on his hip. “All right then. Here’s what’s gonna happen, Gloria. You will battle each of these trainers, that I have trained personally, in a double battle. This is somewhat similar to what you did in Stow-on-Side and Circhester, but now you are fully in command here and on your own!”

“Got it!”

The first trainer approached her and introduced himself once Raihan stepped away. He sent out a Sliggoo and a Pelipper as she summoned Roserade and Inteleon. It started raining, confirming Pelipper’s Drizzle ability, which made Gloria glad she didn’t send out Ninetails. The battle was tough but not impossible, thanks to Roserade’s Poison movepool and Inteleon’s speed and accuracy, though Roserade did sustain some damage from Pelipper’s Wing Attack.

The next battle was against a Turtonator and a Ninetails, and Gloria decided to swap Roserade for her own Ninetails. _Too many of my Pokemon are weak to fire,_ she noticed. Ninetails pressed ahead with Shadow Ball and Psychic while Inteleon picked away at the opposite team with Snipe Shot and Sucker Punch, and soon they too fell, despite the Sunny Day in effect.

The last battle was against a Hakamo-o and Abomasnow, the latter summoning Hail with his Snow Warning. She kept Ninetails but switched Inteleon out for Corviknight. She immediately went for the Hakamo-o with Brave Bird and took it out. Abomasnow stood no chance against Ninetails’ direct Inferno attack.

At the end, all three trainers congratulated her and clapped. Raihan approached her with an enthusiastic clap of his own. “Congratulations! You’ve passed my gym mission, well done!” He put his hands on his hips and his eyes twinkled. “Now, time for the main event.”

He took her through a secret passageway that led to the tunnels of the stadium from the vault, presumably to keep her from discussing the mission with other waiting trainers. “You’ll have some time to get ready. Head out to the pitch in half an hour!” He waved her off and left the room.

Gloria breathed deeply and calmed herself. This is it. The last gym battle. Then, the tournament. After? She wasn’t sure, but it was no use to dwell on that now. She healed her Pokemon and gave them a pep talk. They were ready, so she had to be ready, too.

She stepped onto the pitch and watched the crowd roar in greeting. They had followed her journey throughout and had cheered her on at all points. She smiled and waved, enjoying the cheers when they saw her acknowledge them.

She met Raihan in the centre, who grinned and activated his auto-Rotom camera mode.

“No, I don’t mind,” she said, laughing when he looked stunned. He recovered and offered her another smile and put a hand on his hip.

“I got to admit, I didn’t think you’d make it this far,” Raihan said, “but I should’ve expected no less from Leon’s pick.” He straightened and clenched his fists. “Your goal is to defeat Leon, right? Well, you’ll have to get in line, ‘cause I’ll be the first to beat him! Show me what you got!”

“You got it!” Gloria went to her side of the pitch as Raihan went to his. She had been briefed that it was a Double Battle, and so sent out Lucario and Ninetails to start. He met her with Flygon and Gigalith, whipping up a sandstorm. She clicked her tongue once she realized that Ninetails was at a disadvantage. She’d have to make do with a creative strategy.

“Shadow Ball, Flygon, go! Lucario, Aura Sphere on Gigalith!” Her Pokemon may have been slightly weaker, but they were definitely faster. Gigalith took the Aura Sphere, sliding back slightly from the force. The giant Pokemon shifted its weight, using a supereffective Body Press. Lucario grunted slightly and jumped back, weakened from the blow.

On the other side, Flygon dodged the Shadow Ball and retaliated with a Bulldoze. Ninetails cried out in pain and staggered, Lucario joining her as they regained their balance. Gloria clenched her teeth and tried to think of a way to get back on top.

“Lucario, cover Ninetails with Dragon Pulse on Flygon. Ninetails, get close and hit Gigalith with an Inferno!” Ninetails worked through the pain and delivered a powerful blast of fire, strong enough to burn it directly and knock it out. Ninetails collapsed from exhaustion and she called her back, proud of her performance. Flygon withstood the Dragon Pulse and aimed another Bulldoze at Lucario, who immediately jumped and landed on his back. He planted his feet down and slammed him into the ground, delivering a modified Force Palm through his soles.

He bounded back to Gloria, exhausted but ready to fight. Raihan grinned and sent out the next pair, a Duraludon and Sandaconda. Mindful of the sandstorm, Gloria sent out Corviknight, her Steel typing immunizing her to the effects of the weather.

Raihan Gigantamaxed his Duraludon right away, but Gloria opted not to follow. Her battle with Piers in Spikemuth inspired her to rely less on Dynamaxing, as she trusted her Pokemon to win without it. She had Corviknight and Lucario team up on Sandaconda to take it out right away with a combination of Aura Sphere and Air Slash.

“G-Max Depletion!” Raihan called out. Duraludon obeyed and the air shifted around Gloria’s Pokemon. They looked even more exhausted and she realized that she would have to win this soon.

“Corviknight, grab onto Lucario. Lucario, hold on tight and get up there now!”

Raihan blinked in surprise as Corviknight slammed her strong metallic wings and thrust her and Lucario high up into the air. The sandstorm obscured them from Duraludon and Raihan who desperately tried to find them.

“Duraludon, Max Wyrmstorm! Find ‘em and take ‘em out!”

Duraludon blindly whipped up a draconic storm. Gloria couldn’t see her partners but she had faith they would know what to do. When a gigantic explosion sounded from Duraludon, confirming his knock out, she smiled brightly.

On the large screen display in the stadium, the last moments of the battle replayed for the audience to see: Lucario, launching from Corviknight and heading straight for Duraludon’s blind spot with a killer Force Palm. Corviknight finished him off with a well-placed Iron Head and caught Lucario, returning to Gloria as the sandstorm subsided.

She jumped and hugged her team, praising them for a job well done. Raihan grinned despite himself.

“Ah well, that was a great battle. Glad I got it all on my vlog!”

He approached her and shook her hand exuberantly. “This battle opened my eyes, ya know. Calling myself Leon’s rival when I can’t even claim the title of Champion? How arrogant is that! You did well, Gloria. Good job!”

“Thanks, Raihan. That means a lot to me.”

He gave her the gym badge and she put it away carefully. He escorted her out of the stadium, where Marnie sat waiting in the lobby. Raihan crossed his arms and grinned. “Piers’ sister, huh? Let’s see if battle strategy runs in the family.”

Marnie smiled slightly and nodded at Gloria. The brunette squeezed her hand. “I’ll see ya later, alright? Give ‘em a good fight!” Marnie left with Raihan and Gloria walked out of the lobby, breathing a sigh of relief. The gym challenge was officially over! Now she could focus on preparations, and maybe even a little investigative work…

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a commotion off to the side. She watched as some gym officials exited a very heavy-looking glass door, labelled _Macro Cosmos Energy_. The officials were arguing about whose turn it was to guard the lift. Gloria swallowed nervously, her eyes wide. The door was wide open. She could go in now, but she would have no backup. Hop was in Spikemuth, Marnie was battling Raihan, Bede…

_Bede!_

She exhaled slowly and snuck past the two guards and into the lift. She closed it quickly and pressed a random button. She hoped they wouldn’t be able to follow her. As she waited, she tapped out a message to Bede, telling him of her plans, and locked her phone to put it away. Should anything happen to her, at least he might be able to give her some back up.

The lift pinged to signify she had reached her destination and opened the doors. She heard a strange, staggered humming sound, and the sound of heavy, laboured breaths. Every step she took echoed in the hallway as she slowly walked away from the door. The edge where the floor met the wall was lit up with white fluorescent light that lit the path. Up ahead, there was a corner where orange and red light leaked out. Past that, she saw what appeared to be glass doors, possibly another lift.

 _Step… Step… Step…_ The breathing grew louder and heavier the closer she got to the corner. She put her hand on the ledge, slowly turning around to see what was behind. She saw a large gold orb with what appeared to be a red snake inside. She could feel the back of her head prickling, as though every instinct in her told her to run away. Beneath her body’s urge to flee, Gloria thought she heard a pained wail, a cry for help.

She rubbed her eyes and tried to get closer when the sound of glass doors opening pulled her out of her reverie. She stumbled back, eyes wide, when suddenly Professor Magnolia exited accompanied by a gym official. The professor looked slightly annoyed, but when she met her eyes, she looked downright terrified. The gym official looked up and noticed her immediately.

“Hey! This is a restricted area!”

“That’s my assistant! She was probably worried about me. Come dear, let us leave this place.” The official said nothing as Magnolia went up to her and tugged her out of the Energy Plant. They walked at a brisk pace until they finally reached the Pokemon centre, where they sat together at a table.

“That was too close…” the professor sighed. “Sonia should be here soon. What were you doing in there, Gloria? If I hadn’t been there…”

“I’m sorry. I saw an opening and had to take the chance. Rose is hiding something and I need to know what!” When Magnolia averted her gaze, Gloria pressed her further. “Professor, what’s happening? Do you know what’s in there?”

“It’s better if you don’t know.”

Gloria’s jaw dropped and she sputtered in protest. “P-professor? How could you say something like that?” Magnolia turned her head away and Gloria’s anger diminished when she saw tears in her eyes. “Magnolia?”

“I’m only trying to protect Sonia,” Magnolia’s tired eyes welled with tears. “Please, she’s all that’s left of my family…”

Gloria sat back, stunned. _Did Rose threaten to hurt Sonia to keep her quiet? Is that why he keeps giving her those leads, to watch her every move?_

“I’m so sorry, I… I didn’t know,” Gloria said softly. She passed a tissue to Magnolia, who took it gratefully and dried her eyes. “I can’t believe Rose would sink so low.”

“He’s changed a lot over the years,” Magnolia said, eyes lost to the past. “He used to be so cheerful and bright. One of my best collaborators. But his perceived lack of time over this energy crisis has driven him to the edges of his sanity.”

“Energy crisis?”

Magnolia nodded. “Rose predicts that there will be an energy crisis in ten years’ time. He hypothesizes that we will not be able to sustain our population with our current energy infrastructure, so he’s been working on _alternative_ measures to make up the difference. The worst-case scenario, according to him, is all-out war in the Galarian Isles.”

“And this alternative method is what he’s trying to keep hidden…” Gloria concluded. “I understand where he’s coming from, but there are probably other solutions, right?”

“Rose is determined to keep his father’s legacy going. He is only interested in Dynamax-related solutions.”

Before Gloria could comment further, Sonia rushed into the centre and plopped next to her grandmother. “Hey Gran, Gloria! Finally! What did Rose tell you?”

Magnolia met Gloria’s eyes and silently begged her to stay quiet. She turned to Sonia with a smile. “Oh, the usual, dear. He asked me to look into some of the data from the incident. I have the most experience with this type of thing so it was only natural that he would ask for my expertise. Did you learn anything new?”

Sonia pouted at the boring answer, but her eyes lit up in excitement. “Yes, I’m sure of it now! The light that covered Hammerlocke is the same as what was depicted in the murals of the Darkest Day. That is correlated with the rampaging giant Pokemon, just like we saw yesterday. The two are definitely connected.”

Magnolia nodded, eyes shining with pride. “Yes, the evidence certainly points that way, dear.” She took off her lab coat, passing it off to Sonia. “You deserve this, dear. I think it’s time I passed the torch off to you.”

Sonia’s eyes widened in shock. “Are you sure, Gran? I still haven’t figured out everything.”

“But you will, of that I am sure. Think of this as an early gift. You have surpassed all expectations and hopes I ever had for you.”

Sonia accepted the lab coat, sniffling. “Gran… thank you.”

“Well? Put it on!” Magnolia giggled, then smiled warmly. Sonia stood exchanged her tan coat for the lab coat, adjusting it over her shoulders. She did a little twirl and curtsy, making the other two women laugh.

“Professor Sonia!” Gloria teased, clapping.

Sonia blushed. “Y-yea!” she giggled.

Magnolia stood and leaned on her cane. “It’s up to you to figure out the truth, Sonia. I have faith you will succeed. It’s time I head on home and get some rest. All of this excitement has been quite tiring for an old woman like me.”

“Here, let me help you. Gloria, you got your badge right? Congratulations! I knew you could do it. I guess I’ll be seeing you at Wyndon in a month and a half, so good luck! Make sure to keep in touch, yea?”

Sonia left with her grandmother and Gloria slumped forward, exhausted. Her phone pinged and she shot up straight. _Shit, Bede!_

_Bede: Are you still with the living?_

_Gloria: Yea! Sorry! I had to cut my fieldtrip short. Got discovered pretty quick, hehe_ 😅

_Bede: No surprise._

_Bede: Glad that you are safe._

Gloria smiled and tapped out a final response before locking her phone and leaning back in her chair, sighing heavily.

_This just got a lot more complicated…_


	26. Training

Gloria leapt over and behind a boulder, covering her head as crumbled stones rained over her from a blasted cliffside. She waited for the onslaught to end before she slowly peeked her head over the boulder. A winding Hyper Beam quickly had her sprinting again as it blasted her hiding spot, sending out shards of sharp stone everywhere. One of them sliced across her chin, creating a deep gash.

“Fuck!” she yelled. She turned on her heel and sprinted out to the lake behind her, jumping in and diving out of sight. Another Hyper Beam blew past her and blew up the earth beneath her, sending out a whirlwind of dust and sand. She covered her eyes with her arms then swam blindly towards what she assumed was the cliff wall. When she emerged, she saw that she was hidden behind a part of the small cliff that jutted out slightly and blocked her from the shoreline. She pressed her wrist against her chin as she tried to catch her breath. She peeked carefully around the ledge, looking for her attacker.

The Zweilous she had captured sniffed the ground with their two heads, looking for her. After she had captured them in Hammerlocke, she grew curious and researched the Pokemon on her Pokedex and was impressed with the power of their evolution, Hydreigon. She should have known it would be harder than simply raising them like all her other Pokemon. Dragon types were notoriously difficult to tame, even more so when they weren’t hatched.

Still, she hadn’t expected the Pokemon to straight up attack her. Maybe misbehave, sure, but kill her? She wasn’t going to give up on them just yet, though. They would be the ace up her sleeve if she could tame them. Keyword, _if_.

“No, I _will_ tame them,” Gloria muttered. Gloria peeked over the ledge again and her heart sank when she couldn’t see the Zweilous. _Where did they go?_

She had her answer when she looked up to hear their screech, apparently having gone straight to the top of the cliff. Gloria’s eyes widened when she saw the Hyper Beam building in their mouths. _Oh, sh—_

The Zweilous was knocked aside by a kick from Lucario then restrained with vines from Roserade. The Hyper Beam shot straight out into the sky. Corviknight circled the air for a bit then dove straight down to her, allowing her to ride her back up to the Zweilous. She shivered from the cold due to the water and approached the Zweilous cautiously, blood dripping from her wound. Roserade had clamped both of their mouths shut with vines, and so she was in no danger of taking a Hyper Beam to her face.

“Thanks, you guys,” Gloria said quietly, eyes warm. She looked up to see Inteleon pointing his finger at Zweilous, ready to launch a Snipe Shot should the dragon even twitch the wrong way. Ninetails sat patiently beside him, her red eyes glinting dangerously. She then came up to her and rubbed her fur along her legs to pass some heat. Gloria scratched her chin in response as thanks. Then she put her hands on her hips, eyes narrowing at the Zweilous.

“What is wrong with you?! Why did you just attack me like that?” The Zweilous huffed but otherwise remained motionless. “Well if you were trying to get rid of me, then tough. I’m not going down that easily. And we’re gonna be friends, just you wait!” She sighed then looked up at the sky. “I wonder what the others are up to…”

-x-

Marnie tugged the cloak tighter against her body as she traveled through the sandstorm. The Desert Bowl was hard to traverse on a normal day, impossible in the middle of a storm, but downright suicidal when done during a storm and at night. She did it anyway, because the storm meant that something important was present, and she didn’t know if this chance would come up again. She also needed the extra boost to catch the Pokemon with a dusk ball.

She adjusted the Go-Goggles (a gift from Gloria, who insisted she take them when she learned about her travels) and beckoned Toxicroak and Scrafty as they travelled further in. They were getting close, she could feel it. She heard a stomp and stopped moving, glancing behind a thick, dead tree.

There, eating the remains of a successful hunt, was a Tyranitar.

She knew she would need to be careful, especially if the Pokemon knew Earthquake, which was a given. The Tyranitar feasted, ignoring her, and she took advantage by setting up Toxicroak in a crevice hidden from sight but nearby. She looked around and spotted a ledge off the ground and climbed it quietly. Scrafty followed her and she aimed carefully.

“High Jump Kick,” she muttered. Scrafty nodded and launched herself up into the air. The wind whistled as she angled herself to deliver a destructive blow to Tyranitar’s back. The beast howled in rage and swiped his tail against Scrafty, who then flew and slammed against the side of the bowl. Tyranitar looked around, expecting a trainer, but saw none and huffed, going back to his meal. Marnie gulped and exhaled slowly. Scrafty slowly stood up and she recalled her quietly, seeing her wince in pain.

She let out Grimmsnarl. “False Surrender, go!” Grimmsnarl ran towards the Tyranitar then tripped over his feet, landing on his knees and bowing his head. Tyranitar tilted his head in confusion and made to attack, then the tendrils that were wrapped around Grimmsnarl shot out to restrain him. The beast roared in anger and conjured a Hyper Beam in his mouth, landing a direct hit on Grimmsnarl who flew back.

The demon fairy Pokemon stood up slowly and ran towards the raging Pokemon again, locking his arms in a wrestling match. Marnie quickly stood up and ordered Toxicroak to attack with a Brick Break. Tyranitar dropped to his knees from the pain and roared again, getting angrier by the second. It geared up to fire another Hyper Beam before getting interrupted by Grimmsnarl’s Spirit Break. The beast flew back and slammed against a tree, obliterating it completely and sending slivers of wood flying.

He shakily stood up and panted, then started stomping his feet in rage and launched an Earthquake. Grimmsnarl and Toxicroak staggered from the rumbling and tremors, taking damage. When the Earthquakes subsided, the Pokemon looked up to see Tyranitar barrelling towards them with a Giga Impact. The Pokemon’s momentum ended sharply against Grimmsnarl, the impact sending him off against the bowl. He then slammed his tail against Toxicroak, knocking him out. Grimmsnarl fainted from the exertion as well and Marnie called them both back.

By then, Tyranitar had noticed Marnie and huffed, gearing up to bring her down from the ledge. She summoned Morpeko and Liepard. Liepard launched a Fake Out, causing Tyranitar to flinch, which only angered him further. She weaved her way between his legs and tripped him onto his stomach. As the Tyranitar tried to get back up, Morpeko launched off the top of the bowl and slammed into his back with an Aura Wheel. The Tyranitar tried to get up but fell back down under his own weight. Marnie threw a dusk ball at him and jumped off the ledge. She picked it up when it stopped shaking and smiled. Liepard came up to nuzzle her hip and Morpeko jumped onto her shoulder.

“Welcome to the team, Tyranitar…”

-x-

Hop tightened the hood of his parka around his head and bulled his balaclava up higher against his nose. He adjusted his wide snow goggles and squinted at the harsh sunlight reflecting off the snow. The storm was getting worse and he needed to find shelter fast. Beside him, Cinderace continually let off heat to warm the air around him and Dubwool traipsed through the blizzard, unbothered with his thick coat of wool.

“Lucky…” Hop mumbled. He stopped walking and looked around. He was in the deepest parts of the Giant’s Seat, training for the upcoming tournament. He had come to this part of the Wild Area, looking for a Pokemon to complete his team but not sure what. He knew there were Duraludon skulking around but wasn’t too fond of taming a dragon like his brother’s greatest rival.

Cinderace tugged on his sleeve and pointed to a structure ahead. Hop squinted then widened his eyes. “A cave! Good work, bud!” He hurried along to the cave and his two first Pokemon followed behind loyally. When they finally made it past the mouth of the cave and into the jaw, Hop fell back on his butt. He lowered his balaclava and packed his goggles away in his bag.

“Oof! I thought we were gonna freeze out there. Good thinking Cinderace. Let’s start a fire.” Hop looked around for kindling but found nothing. He opened his bag and found some old magazines but nothing that would be able to sustain a constant flame. He sighed then leaned back. “Huh. I knew I forgot something.” He stood up then dusted his hands off. “Oh well. Guess we should just set up camp anyway and rest… Dubwool? Where ya going?”

“Baahh!” Dubwool went deeper into the cave and Hop followed, curious. He grabbed his things and asked Cinderace to light a fire for them so they could see. In his pocket, Rotom glowed then burrowed out, floating in front of him.

“Bzzt – the area beyond here is uncharted! Are you sure you would like to continue?”

Hop grinned. “Obviously! That makes it more fun.”

Rotom buzzed in disapproval but said nothing, returning inside Hop’s pocket. The trio continued further into the cave. The narrow hallway slowly widened into a clearing. Blue gems glittered off the sides of the walls, reflecting light from a hole in the ceiling of the cavern.

“Whoa…” Hop said in amazement, gazing around. It was a beautiful sight. Cinderace put his flame away and the trio continued deeper into the clearing. There was a patch of snow under the hole and even through there Hop could see it was still storming outside.

He suddenly felt a cold mass hit the side of his head. He blinked and touched his hand to his temple, turning around. On the other side of the cave, two Darumaka chittered and giggled as they launched more snowballs at them. They generated them with their breath, freezing them into solid shapes using their powers.

“Oh so it’s like that huh?” Hop grinned. He bent down to pack snow into a ball and threw it at them. They shrieked and ran away, not expecting their victim to retaliate. “Aw, I thought we were playing together…” Hop pouted. He shrugged and looked over at Cinderace, who shrugged as well.

“Baahh!!”

“Okay Dubwool I get it, I’m a terrible person.”

“Baaaaahh!!”

“Ugh I know! Don’t have to rub it in.”

“BAH!” Dubwool crashed against his side as a large mass came barrelling towards them and slammed into the side of the cave. Cinderace dug his feet into the ground and readied his stance, turning to face their foe. Hop stood slowly, rubbing his side.

“Thanks Dub, but you didn’t have to actually use Take Down on me, ow…” Hop glanced at where their attacker had impacted, seeing what looked to be a snowman. “Huh? Rotom, what’s that?”

“Bzzt – it appears to be a Darmanitan!”

Darmanitan pulled its head out of the wall and faced them, its massive head angled for another impact. It grunted and slammed its fists against the ground, ready to battle. Hop’s eyes sparkled.

“Let’s go Cinderace! Pyro Ball!”

Cinderace conjured a spherical flame and kicked it around before launching it. Darmanitan moved its head to the side and dodged it easily. It used Work Up, boosting its attack, then rushed forward with an Ice Punch. Dubwool met it with a Double-Edge, sending it back but also taking damage from both attacks. Cinderace launched another Pyro Ball which met the Ice beast head on and reduced its vitality significantly.

Darmanitan roared in anger, changing form. It really did look like a snowman now, but with a fiery nose and a demonic face on the front of the body.

“Uhh… Rotom, what is _that_?”

“Bzzt – that is Darmanitan’s Zen Mode form. It has now acquired a Fire typing alongside its Ice typing.”

“Huh, neat! Okay, Dubwool, use Cotton Guard. Cinderace, get up there with an Iron Head!” Cinderace obeyed and sprinted forward. The Darmanitan suddenly flew into a Thrash attack, knocking Cinderace away. The Fire Rabbit Pokemon hobbled slightly and tried to get away but took another Thrash, passing out from exhaustion. Hop recalled him then encouraged Dubwool to keep going.

“Dubwool, get ‘em with Reversal!” Dubwool rushed forward and took a direct hit from the Thrash, but his defenses allowed him to hold on to the last of his vitality and deliver the finishing blow, powering his Reversal attack. The Darmanitan collapsed and Hop rushed quickly to capture it in a pokeball. The ball shook three times then stopped. Hop picked it up with a wide grin on his face.

“Hell yea!”

-x-

“Do you see it yet?”

“No, I do not.”

“…”

“…”

“Do you see it now?”

“No!” A pause. “What am I looking for?”

Opal sighed and shook her head. “Weren’t you listening to me Bede? There is a Pokemon here that I think would make a great addition to your team.” She turned her head forward, peering through their makeshift bush disguise. “We are searching for a Whimsicott.”

“Whimsicott,” Bede repeated, frowning.

“Exactly. And it’s right up ahead. This part of your training will show me if you have what it takes to handle Fairy types. Are you ready?”

“No…” Bede muttered.

“I’m sorry, I do believe my ears are failing me in my old age. Are you ready?”

Bede rolled his eyes. “Yes, I am ready.”

“Good! Now, go capture it. I will be watching.”

Bede sighed then stood up, making his way across the clearing in the Dappled Grove. The leaves fell and swirled around him. Idly, he wondered what the others were up to, then shook his head to clear his thoughts. _Need to focus on this right now._

He looked around then finally spotted the Whimsicott. It was floating in the wind in circles with Cottonee. They looked like they were having a fun time. Suddenly, the Whimsicott stayed in the air, unmoving. The Cottonee scurried away as Whimsicott was brought to the ground with the help of Bede’s Gardevoir.

Bede crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side. “Gardevoir, use Psychic.” The Whimsicott was flung off to the side of the clearing and landed against a tree, sliding down the bark. It stood on its legs and squeaked in indignation. Bede covered his face as huge gusts of wind whipped against him. Whimsicott used Hurricane and tried to blow him away, literally.

“Gardevoir, Teleport.” Bede zipped in the air and appeared on a tree branch with Gardevoir. The Whimsicott startled in surprise and looked around, the wind dying down. Bede let out Sylveon, who leapt gracefully in front of the Whimsicott to challenge it. The Windveiled Pokemon squealed loudly and unleashed a Leaf Storm against Sylveon, who used Protect just before she was blasted.

“Sylveon, Moon Blast!” The eeveelution launched a powerful Fairy attack against the Whimsicott and sent it tumbling further into the clearing. Just then, the sun started to peak out intensely behind the clouds. Before Bede could blink the cotton ball Pokemon rushed Sylveon with a powerful Energy Ball. Sylveon flew back into a shrub and came out on shaky legs.

Bede’s eyes widened. _Chlorophyll! A hidden ability. Perfect._ “Sylveon! Skill Swap!”

Sylveon and Whimsicott glowed as their abilities were exchanged. Whimsicott squealed in surprise again and was taken aback when Sylveon appeared right in front of it, ready for revenge. It delivered another Moon Blast attack, which made Whimsicott ready for capture. He launched a great ball at it and Gardevoir teleported him to the ball when it stopped shaking. Opal met him and smiled.

“Excellent, young Bede. I am very proud of your progress and talent. You’ll make a fine Gym Leader.” She put a hand to his back and encouraged him forward. “Come now, let us have some tea.”

Bede smiled and blushed slightly, warmth in his chest. _Is this what… family… feels like?_


	27. Victory Road

Gloria crossed her legs as she tapped away on her phone. She was sitting in the Hammerlocke train station, waiting for the train to Wyndon. She had just got off the phone with her Mum who promised to meet her there, though she would be taking a Taxi with Hop’s Mum. It was a rite of passage for all gym challengers to take the train to a route just outside of Wyndon, where they would then traverse the treacherous snowy mountains through a path colloquially referred to as “Victory Road”.

She was interrupted when she felt hands cover her eyes, obscuring her vision. “Guess who?”

Gloria smiled. “Hop?”

“Wrong.” She felt silky hair touch against her cheek, the smell of leather relaxing her and a soft breath against her ear. “Wanna try again?”

Gloria pursed her lips together in response. Her message was heard loud and clear as she received a deep kiss from the stranger above her. When she opened her eyes, Marnie’s turquoise gaze greeted her warmly. Marnie broke the kiss and moved around the bench to sit next to her.

“Hey, you.”

“Hey.”

They stared at each other in fond silence, holding hands. They’d seen each other occasionally over the last month, but not for too long. They didn’t talk much when they saw each other, anyway.

Marnie traced a scar down Gloria’s chin. “Is this new?”

“Huh?” Gloria touched the jagged indent in her skin. “No, this is from training a few weeks ago. We were out near Lake of Outrage.” At Marnie’s worried look, she giggled. “You’re cute when you’re worried.”

Marnie sighed and looked down at their joined hands. “You’re lookin’ a little tan, Glo,” she commented, examining the difference in skin tones.

Gloria squinted. “You’re still pale as a ghost. Did you even go outside?” Marnie rolled her eyes and pulled Gloria close. The brunette nuzzled her head against Marnie’s neck and sighed. “I can’t believe we’re almost there…”

“Mm… feels like yesterday you blew up at Bede back ‘n Motostoke,” Marnie agreed. Gloria raised her head and pouted.

“Really? You have to bring that up?”

Marnie leaned forward to kiss her pout away. Gloria wrapped her arms around her neck, deepening the kiss, when they were interrupted by a loud cough. She jumped away and turned to glare at Hop, who put his hands up in surrender.

“Hey, sorry, but I thought you were gonna eat Marnie. I had to save her!”

“Shut up, Hop,” the brunette mumbled. Marnie laughed lightly and kissed her brow, squeezing her hands. The trio looked at each other and Gloria felt at home, though she felt a gaping hole in their group where Bede was supposed to be. He was probably still back in Ballonlea, training with Opal. It was funny to her that she considered him a friend because of how they started off.

Unfortunately, he and Hop had not been able to talk about what had happened in Hammerlocke long ago. She hoped they would be able to resolve their differences and maybe even move forward in their relationship soon. She knew it still bothered Hop.

Rose had also been suspiciously absent over the last month as well. He had made no moves since the incident in Hammerlocke, likely to try and regain control of his plant. She had told Hop and Marnie about what had happened with Magnolia, but there was not much they could do aside from wait for further development of the situation. It made her uneasy to leave it, but she had no choice.

_“Attention all passengers: the train to route ten is departing soon. Please make your way to terminal two for departure.”_

“Welp, that’s us!” Gloria exclaimed standing up and clapping her hands against her thighs. “We have a train to catch.”

-x-

Hop jolted awake when he felt a poke on his cheek. He looked at Gloria’s smug grin and reached two fingers over to push her back into her seat by her forehead. “Ever heard of personal space?” he muttered, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“I don’ think they ‘ave that where she comes from,” Marnie joked, earning a light elbow from her girlfriend.

Gloria pouted. “I can’t believe my best mate and my girlfriend are ganging up on me. Not fair!”

Marnie pointed past her and out the window. “Looks like we’re here. Let’s go.” She stood and offered a hand to Gloria, who took it and smiled as she stood. Hop let out a noise in protest.

“Hey, care to give me a hand?” he complained. Marnie kept her face straight and said nothing, instead opting to turn away and tug Gloria to the train exit. Gloria stuck her tongue out at him and he sighed, smiling as he joined them.

All three were dressed in heavy snow gear, as they were told in advance that the weather was dangerous. When they left the station after retrieving their belongings, Marnie shivered slightly and leaned into Gloria’s warmth. Hop checked his phone before locking it.

“It’s gonna be quite the trip there, about a day and a half if we don’t get distracted,” he explained. “We should be able to get to Wyndon on time. Tournament’s about four days away.”

“What? Seriously? Ugh, then we better get started.”

The trio began their trek along Route 10, battling trainers and Pokemon along the way. Their hard work from training showed clear results, as no one stood a chance against them. They finally reached an underpass, a natural formation through the mountain, after several hours of traveling. They set their packs down to rest, taking a break from their journey.

Hop and Gloria got to work to start a fire while Marnie gathered the ingredients for the curry. The three fed their Pokemon then themselves, though they did so in private, not wanting to spoil their teams to each other. When they felt refreshed, they continued their journey through the underpass and up the mountainside. The three crept carefully along a sharp ledge, moving through the snow. They kept one hand on the mountain to their left and the other steady for balancing. To their right was a ravine that would surely lead to a horrible death should they fall. The snow whipped harshly around them and forced them to focus on their steps.

“Wyndon should be real close once we get over this mountain, but we won’t get there today so we’ll have to find shelter and set up camp,” Hop yelled. He was looking back as he said this and missed an unstable portion of the ledge. His eyes widened when he felt the ground beneath him give and he tumbled back into the ravine. Gloria screamed and went to grab him, but Marnie pulled her back lest she follow him too.

“HOP!” Gloria screamed, horrified. She carefully but rapidly shimmied to where he had been standing and looked down, only to sputter in confusion. Hop was floating in midair, seemingly breaking all laws of physics. He looked bewildered as well and looked around. Marnie simply smiled as she looked up.

“You ought to be more aware of your surroundings. Who knows what would have happened had I not had the foresight to accompany you?” Bede sighed as he gently slid down from a higher ledge of the mountain, his Hatterene close by. “Hatterene, bring this foolish boy up here before he has a stroke.” His Pokemon complied, cautiously setting Hop on his feet on a safer part of the ledge.

Hop, without thinking, hugged Bede to thank him, but then he remembered why that was _not_ a good idea and scrambled back quickly, eyes wide and blushing. He looked away and missed Bede’s own light blush, which he cleared away quickly.

“Bede, what are you doing here?” Gloria asked.

“Let’s get somewhere safe. I’ll explain everything then.” The group didn’t have to be convinced and continued on their path. They reached a stable cavern on the side of the mountain closest to Wyndon and took shelter from the night and blizzard. With their camp set up and a fire going, they huddled around it for warmth. Marnie and Gloria shared a blanket while Hop and Bede sat far apart. There was no space to let their Pokemon out so they would have to stay in their balls for the night.

“To answer your question, Gloria, I was making the trip to Wyndon myself to watch the tournament. Rather than accompany Opal in a Taxi, I found it appropriate to endure the travel I would have had if it had not been for my untimely exit from the challenge.”

“And you just so happened to be traveling at the same time as us?” Gloria raised an eyebrow. Bede smirked.

“You could call it coincidence, providence, or just an agreement between Marnie and I.”

Gloria turned to the woman beside her in shock. “What?”

Marnie shrugged. “He told me he wanted ta travel to Wyndon and I told ‘im when we were leavin’. If I mentioned it to Hop he woulda freaked out.” At Hop’s guilty look and open mouth she continued. “Ya know it’s true, don’ deny it.”

Hop looked away uncomfortably and brought his knees to his chest. Gloria glared at Marnie who glared back. Bede said nothing as he looked at the flickering flames. Suddenly, Hop stood up and moved to his sleeping bag.

“Well, I’m bushed. Thanks for the food. I’ll see you all tomorrow!” Hop tucked himself in and turned away from the group, facing the mouth of the cave. The girls decided to follow suit and bickered slightly about what just happened as they readied themselves for bed. Bede stayed, contemplating a course of action until he sighed and stood up. He put the fire out and climbed into his sleeping bag and looked at Hop.

Sleep did not come easily to either of them that night.

-x-

Bede rose early in the morning and saw Hop packing their things away. Gloria and Marnie were curled around each other, still fast asleep. He envied how well they fit together and wondered if he could ever have a bond as deep as theirs.

“You’d need a crowbar to pry those two apart, yea?” Hop joked, startling Bede. Hop’s smile vanished and he shuffled awkwardly in place. “Uh, sorry.” He turned around to continue packing and Bede stood up quickly, feeling his moment slipping. He put a hand to Hop’s shoulder and turned him around.

“Hop…”

Hop averted his eyes. “Bede, listen, it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way. I-I don’t know what I was thinking.” Hop looked forward when his words were met with silence. Bede looked straight at him with a solid gaze. He moved his hand up to steady Hop’s chin, and the shorter man gasped unintentionally.

“You are… so foolish. But not as much as I.” Bede leaned forward and pressed their lips together. Hop shuddered and moved his hands to Bede’s arms to steady himself, and the other man held him close. Butterflies erupted in Hop’s stomach as he stepped forward to deepen the kiss, but Bede pulled back. Hop opened his eyes in disappointment. _When did I close them?_

He met with Bede’s violet eyes gazing warily behind him. “We should continue this in more… _private_ accommodations.” Hop blinked then blushed when he understood the full meaning behind Bede’s words.

“Uh… yea. Totally. Uh huh.” Hop nodded his head vigorously then stepped back. “So does this mean that…”

“That you assumed the wrong thing back in Hammerlocke?” Bede sighed. “Yes, yes it does… but this is neither the time nor the place to discuss this. Once we have settled in Wyndon we will speak further. Is that alright?” At Hop’s nod, he smiled. “Good. Now we ought to get moving. How do we wake these two up?”

Hop grinned evilly. “Leave it to me.”

-x-

“Marnie, I swear to Arceus if you don’t let me go right now, I will divorce you and take the kids.”

“We aren’ even married, Gloria.”

“Not anymore we aren’t!”

“I don’ think Leon’d ‘preciate you turnin’ Hop into a stain on th’ side of th’ mountain.”

“Well, maybe Hop should’ve thought twice before lighting a fire under my ass. Literally!” Gloria held Inteleon’s pokeball to eye level. “Buddy, remind me to send you out to give Cinderace a good thrashing when we go up against Hop.”

“As if,” Hop rolled his eyes. “And shut your yap, your voice is making the view a little hard to enjoy.”

“Why you—” Gloria fumed. Marnie tightened her hold. “Why are you so calm?!”

“’Cause he didn’ do anythin’ to me.”

“But I’m your _girlfriend._ Is nothing sacred anymore?”

“Would you quit trying to murder my _boyfriend_!” Bede snapped. Gloria’s jaw dropped and Hop blushed but said nothing.

“Bu— Hop—what—is this true?!”

“Great,” the raven-haired woman groaned, “ya went an’ broke her proper.” Gloria waved her arms around as she tried to process what was happening. Before she could say anything, Hop’s expression lit up happily and he pointed at the horizon.

“We’re almost there! Let’s keep at it, folks!” Hop took down the slope in a hurry, Bede reluctantly following him. Marnie and Gloria slid down the final stretch of the mountain back onto the ground and kept pace with the men as they ran towards the arch leading into Wyndon. The air thawed and grew warmer the closer they got, so they took a break to take off their winter gear and change into more roomy clothing.

They passed under the short tunnel and stopped as they finally entered the city, gazing around in wonder. They were currently in a central plaza, the centre displaying impressive statues of Corviknight, Corvisquire and Rookidee. A large building with tall glass windows was located at the front of the plaza. The left led to a shopping sector, marked by digital billboards that flashed through various advertisements. Tucked between one of the billboards and the glass building was a Pokemon centre. Gloria thought she saw Nessa’s face slide across the screen before her attention was drawn to the right, where Wyndon stadium stood proudly. In the background, a tall tower stood unopposed in its height, contrasting with a Ferris wheel in the distance.

Gloria frowned at the Ferris wheel, feeling as though she’d seen it before, before her face was gently turned around by Marnie. Marnie smiled at her and brought their lips together softly before pulling away and resting their foreheads against each other.

“We made it.”

Gloria grinned. “Welcome to Wyndon.”

-x-

The four trainers checked in to the Rose of the Rondelands hotel. Marnie had booked a room with Piers, Gloria with her mum, meanwhile Bede was rooming with Opal (garnering strange looks and an embarrassed “it’s complicated!”) and Hop was sharing with his mum. Piers hadn’t arrived yet, so Gloria tugged Marnie with her to her room to introduce her to her mum. When Gloria unlocked the door, she found her mother sitting at the small kitchen table, staring quietly out the window.

“Hey, Mum!” Gloria greeted, giving her a kiss on her cheek and a hug. Her mum hugged her tightly and sniffled when she pulled back.

“My little girl’s all grown up! And so strong!” She looked up and noticed Marnie standing awkwardly by the door. “Oh, you must be one of the other challengers. Marnie, is it?” She smiled. “I saw you and my daughter battle together on the telly! Thank you for taking care of her, even if she is a handful.”

“Muuuum,” Gloria groaned. She straightened and grinned, reaching for Marnie’s hand. “There’s something I have to tell you…”

Gloria’s mum looked between the two girls, Gloria’s wide grin and Marnie’s blush and averted gaze cluing her in as she gasped with a hand to her mouth. “Oh! Gloria, why didn’t you tell me earlier?” She sighed. “I do apologize, dear. Gloria is quite a handful.”

“Am not!” Gloria argued.

“Yes, ya are,” Marnie smirked. Gloria turned and glared at her.

“Does loyalty mean _anything_ to you?!”

Gloria’s mum put her hands on her hips as she stood up and frowned. “That’s no proper way to speak to your girlfriend, Gloria!” She pointed at one of the beds. “You’re grounded until you apologize!”

“What—” Gloria sputtered. “I’m turning twenty this year, I’m an experienced Pokemon Trainer! You can’t just— just ground me!” She watched as her mother took Marnie’s hands and led her out the door, hearing bits of their conversation before it shut behind them.

“Call me Stella, dear. Where are you from?”

“Spikemuth.”

“Oh, Spikemuth! I had a boyfriend from there, once. Is it still as rowdy as I remember?”

Gloria plopped onto her bed and sighed but smiled to herself as she closed her eyes.


	28. The Champion's Cup

_Two days later…_

Gloria exited the locker room, dressed in her uniform as she waited in the lobby of the stadium. Around her, fans called her name and eagerly cheered her on. She smiled as some came to her for autographs and obliged. She had to turn down one request, only because it would have resulted in severe public backlash.

She was tapping away on her phone when she felt a shadow loom over her. She looked up and yelped when she saw Ballguy staring at her unflinchingly in his traditional costume. He straightened and put his hands on his hips.

“Challenger Gloria! I am so happy to see you today. Best of luck in the competition. I’ve been following you since we first met in Motostoke and I am rooting for you!” He walked by her and tapped her shoulder. “Keep it up, kid, you’ll catch him soon enough,” he said in a low voice.

Gloria blinked and swiveled around but he kept his back to her as he walked away to entertain some bored children. She was interrupted from her thoughts when someone grabbed her hand and she turned around to see Marnie dressed in her uniform as well. Gloria smiled and leaned in for a kiss but was stopped by Marnie’s hand.

“We’re rivals, Gloria, we can’t kiss,” Marnie scolded lightly. Gloria pouted and lifted Marnie’s knuckles to her lips to pepper kisses on them.

“Please?”

Marnie rolled her eyes and acquiesced, leaning forward to kiss the brunette lightly on her lips. She moved to place her lips against Gloria’s ear, feeling her shudder at the sensation of her hot breath. “Be patient.”

Marnie moved back and was delighted to see a blush spread across Gloria’s face. The brunette opened her mouth to retort when Hop came bounding over to them, grin on his face.

“I can’t believe we’re all here! This is amazing!”

Gloria smiled warmly at him. “Hop, I told ya we’d make it to the finals. Now, the Champion’s title, well… it belongs to me.”

“Oi, don’t start deluding yourself now, Gloria! I’ll win and beat my brother, count on it.”

_Attention challengers: please make your way to the Wyndon stadium waiting room. We will be starting shortly._

The trio stared at each other and collectively exhaled. They made their way to the back of the hall and were each escorted by gym officials to different rooms. Gloria fumbled nervously with her Dynamax band as she waited on a bench. A gym official came up to her and cleared his throat, his arms behind his back.

“Excuse me, but your match will be beginning shortly. Please make your way onto the pitch in five minutes. Good luck.” Gloria thanked him and he walked away. She took a deep breath and stood up, sliding her hands along her pokeballs until she stopped on an ultra ball. _I hope I don’t have to use you yet, but if I do, please don’t let me down…_

She entered the tunnel, the familiar feeling of excitement tangled with nerves bubbling up in her. She exited out onto the pitch, shielding her eyes from the bright sun and even brighter crowd. She looked around and tried to spot her mum, but the audience was too dense to locate anything. When she looked forward, her heart jumped to her throat as Marnie made her way to the centre of the pitch.

They met in the middle and turned to face each other. Gloria felt strange, like this was the first time she was meeting Marnie. All of their shared memories came flooding back to her and she smiled beautifully, rubbing her wrists across her eyes to stem any tears. Marnie, as though understanding, returned her smile with a small one of her own, but Gloria knew her well enough to know what she meant.

No words were needed as they took their places at their given positions. _No matter what, give it your all._

The match was started and Gloria met Marnie’s Liepard with her Lucario. He nodded in greeting then prepared an Aura Sphere. Liepard intercepted with a Fake Out, causing him to flinch. Marnie set Liepard up with a Hone Claws and dodged an incoming Bone Rush. Gloria clenched her fists and ordered another Aura Sphere, which dealt heavy damage to Liepard, almost knocking her out. Liepard retaliated with a Play Rough that Lucario took with crossed arms, dealing the final blow with a Force Palm.

Marnie recalled Liepard and sent out Toxicroak, the Poison/Fighting-type croaking in response to Lucario. Lucario outsped Toxicroak and went to deliver a Bone Rush, but the latter blocked it with a forearm, taking the hit and delivering a powerful boosted Revenge. The supereffective attack sent Lucario to his knees and he struggled to get up, sending out an Aura Sphere to push Toxicroak back.

Lucario attempted to rush Toxicroak with ExtremeSpeed, disappearing into thin air, but Marnie anticipated another attack and commanded a Sucker Punch to knock Lucario out. Gloria recalled Lucario back and sent out Corviknight, who screeched into the air. Marnie commanded another Sucker Punch, which failed as Gloria had Corviknight use Torment instead. Marnie clicked her tongue and had Toxicroak brace himself using a Revenge attack, but Corviknight’s Brave bird proved too much for him and he fell.

Marnie sent out Morpeko, who squeaked in delight upon seeing Gloria. Gloria knew what Marnie’s strategy was and so pre-emptively used a Swagger to confuse Morpeko. The tiny electric Pokemon stumbled around in confusion, causing the audience to laugh. Marnie attempted to regain control but it was too late as Corviknight had already delivered a devastating Iron Head, knocking her out.

Marnie sighed and took out another dusk ball. She launched it and sent out Tyranitar, who immediately whipped up a sandstorm. Gloria braced herself and ordered Corviknight to use Swagger again, but it didn’t work on the Tyranitar as he roared and unleashed a powerful Stone Edge attack, the impact so strong it knocked Corviknight right out. Gloria’s jaw dropped and Marnie smirked, crossing her arms.

Gloria narrowed her eyes and sent out Roserade, who stood amongst the sandstorm gracefully. Marnie immediately commanded an Earthquake. Gloria commanded something that Marnie couldn’t hear over the rumble of the earth and the sandstorm, but she did see Roserade vault gracefully through the air and land back down unharmed. Tyranitar twitched and she had him use Stomping Tantrum, which doubled his attack and dealt a severe blow to Roserade. Roserade kept herself up through sheer will and unleashed a devastating Leaf Storm, wobbling slightly.

Tyranitar stood strong but twitched again, then finally collapsed. Marnie then noticed the Leech Seed Roserade had planted and looked up to see the Pokemon looking terrible but better than a few seconds ago. Gloria crossed her arms and smirked and Marnie smiled slightly. She sent out Scrafty, whose Ice Punch took out Roserade after she’d taken damage from a Leaf Storm. Gloria sent out Ninetails in response, and her speed was enough to burn Scrafty to exhaustion.

Marnie gripped her last dusk ball tightly and sent out Grimmsnarl, who she immediately Gigantamaxed.

“My bro migh’ not use it… but I’ll Gigantamax my Pokemon if it’s to win!”

Gloria kept quiet. She had already decided prior to even leaving Hammerlocke that she no longer wanted to Dynamax her Pokemon. If she could be strong without it, why use it? Grimmsnarl’s new, imposing form towered over her ominously. The demon fairy crossed his arms as he looked down at her, as though she were but a Durant. She looked up at him, defiance in her eyes.

“Ninetails, Inferno!” She knew most of Grimmsnarl’s attacks were physical so she went straight for the kneecaps. Grimmsnarl flinched from the burn but held strong, unleashing Max Darkness attack. Ninetails rolled around on the turf and whimpered in pain but slowly got up. She unleashed one last Flamethrower before succumbing to Grimmsnarl’s attacks.

Gloria sent out Inteleon and said nothing as he launched himself into the air and delivered a Snipe Shot right between Grimmsnarl’s eyes, sending him tumbling back, explosions lighting his body. Marnie’s eyes widened as her Pokemon fell, collapsing out of exhaustion. She looked back at Gloria, who met her gaze, and Marnie had to smile despite the tears she could feel stinging her eyes. _I wanted it to be me, but it’ll be her, and that’s enough for me…_

-x-

Gloria entered the waiting room to see Hop rush to meet her. “Gloria! That was amazing. I’m so pumped up, my team’s on fire! We gotta win the next match!” Just as quickly as he’d appeared, he left. Gloria shook her head fondly and sat down. She waited for her team to be healed and gulped down some water.

She’d seen the look in Marnie’s eyes, disappointed in herself, but proud in Gloria for winning. She hoped she wasn’t being too hard on herself. It truly was a tough fight and she had worried she would have had to rely on her secret weapon to win. Thankfully, she could still keep it as a surprise. She’d make it up to Marnie later, anyway, she thought, blushing slightly.

Someone cleared their throat and she looked up to see another gym official standing over her. She blinked and he shuffled around awkwardly.

“Uh, sorry to disturb you, miss, but Hop’s battle ended very early. We apologize for the short break, but we would like you out on the pitch in five minutes. Thank you.” He left and she sighed as she stood up, dusting herself off. She collected her Pokemon, adjusted some of their movesets and stood at the entrance to the tunnel taking a deep breath.

Time to face Hop.

-x-

Gloria somersaulted as she dodged a Pyro Ball from Hop’s Cinderace. She looked at him wildly. “Oi! What the hell!” she yelled.

Hop shrugged and launched another assault. Inteleon immediately rendered it to steam with his Snipe Shot and glared at his fellow starter, who simply bounced in place. The battle had started a few minutes ago and they had kicked it off with their starters. Gloria scrambled to her feet and ordered a Sucker Punch to wipe that stupid grin off Cinderace’s face, which Inteleon happily did.

Before Cinderace could get up and deliver another attack, a Snipe Shot sent him shooting past Hop and slamming against the side of the stadium. Hop’s jaw dropped and he turned to look at his best mate and her Pokemon, who blew air over his finger as though it were a smoking gun.

“That’s for lighting my ass on fire!” Gloria shouted, her hands cupped to her mouth. In the stands, Bede groaned and Marnie facepalmed as Stella asked her to repeat what her daughter said. Hop recalled Cinderace and sent out Boltund, who jumped to attention with a bark. Gloria was happy to see the Yamper they had rescued grow into a strong opponent, but that wouldn’t stop her or Inteleon from taking him down.

Or she tried to, at least.

She had Inteleon use a Snipe Shot, but Boltund was faster and weaved around the attack, his body crackling with electricity. He knocked right into Inteleon with a powerful Wild Charge, sending her partner smacking against the opposite stadium wall and sliding down to the ground.

“That’s for being you!” Gloria turned to see Hop with his hands around his mouth and glared. He simply grinned and waved. She recalled Inteleon and sent out Roserade. She didn’t have speed here but she did have a strategy.

Roserade launched a Leaf Storm but didn’t attack Boltund, which confused Hop. Instead she whipped it around the two trainers and in between. He blinked and tried to find Roserade but found he couldn’t see as the leaves blocked his vision. He heard Boltund yelp and quickly commanded an attack, waiting and listening. Boltund whimpered as something made contact with him and sent him stumbling to Hop. He knelt down and saw traces of Leech Seed and Leaf Storm. Suddenly, the leaves were sent into the ground and he saw Gloria looking at him with an intense expression, her Roserade by her side.

Hop recalled Boltund and got to his feet, exhaling slowly. He gripped a shiny pokeball in his hand and tossed it to reveal his Darmanitan. The Pokemon beat his chest before huffing out cold air from his nose, causing a momentary fog in front of his mouth. Roserade rushed Darmanitan with a Poison Jab but Hop let him take the hit then ordered an Avalanche which immediately knocked Roserade out with the extra damage. Darmanitan then shifted into Zen Mode and blazed his nose angrily. Gloria deliberated for a moment, then sent out Lucario. Hop commanded a Fire Fang but Lucario was too fast, dodging and delivering a point-blank Aura Sphere that knocked him out.

At least she thought he had been knocked out. Lucario yelped when a Fire Punch landed against his back. He collapsed in front of Gloria and she quickly looked up to see Darmanitan panting heavily but still standing. She recalled Lucario and passed her fingers briefly over the ultra ball before skipping over to another pokeball.

Ninetails came out ready and rushed forward to finish Darmanitan off before he could launch another attack. This time, he went down for good, so Hop sent out his Snorlax. Ninetails weaved in and around Snorlax’s reach, taunting him with a hit but scurrying away when he got too close. She landed a point-blank Inferno against his belly, but his Thick Fat allowed him to take the hit easily. He tried a Body Slam, but she was too quick and knocked him out with a Psychic.

Hop’s hands grew clammy as he held Dubwool’s pokeball. He sent out his oldest friend, who eagerly traipsed into battle. Ninetails met Dubwool head on but was knocked away by a Double-Edge. Hop ordered a Cotton Guard and Gloria took the opportunity to unleash an Inferno and burn Dubwool. Hop had Dubwool use Double-Edge again, and this knocked both Pokemon out simultaneously.

Hop and Gloria smirked and sent out their Corviknights. Brother and sister regarded each other carefully, both flapping their wings and hovering slightly above ground. Suddenly, Hop withdrew his Corviknight and looked her in the eyes.

“I’m gonna win, Gloria, no matter what!” He Gigantamaxed his Corviknight, his wingspan reaching far beyond and outside the stadium. Gloria’s hair whipped around from the high winds. Her Corviknight looked back at her, a question in her red eyes, and Gloria smiled.

“Sorry, Hop, but that’s not happening.”

The two battled fiercely but Hop noticed that Gloria wasn’t attacking at all. Rather, she was devoting Corviknight’s energy into evading his attacks. _She’s stalling,_ he realized. By the time he concluded that she was wasting time, his Corviknight receded to his former body and he sighed irritably. _I fell for it!_

“Hone Claws!” Gloria commanded. Hop narrowed his eyes. _Oh no she doesn’t!_

“Brave Bird!” She took the hit, but it was not very effective.

“Hone Claws, again!”

“Brave Bird!” Hop called out desperately.

She took the hit again and fell to the ground. Hop held his breath in anticipation and watched with amazement as Gloria’s Corviknight slowly rose back up.

Gloria grinned and threw her first out. “All right girl, show your brother who’s boss! Power Trip!”

Corviknight screeched and delivered a knock-out blow to Hop. It was as though it was happening in slow motion. Him running to his Corviknight. Gloria praising her own. She had defeated him using the same combination when they first battled their Rookidee back at Professor Magnolia’s house. Hop dropped to his knees and looked down at his friend, thanking him for his hard work. He looked up to see Gloria’s hand and he took it, standing and pulling her into a hug. She jumped a bit but relaxed, patting him on the back. When he pulled away she was crying, which made him cry.

“Why are you crying, idiot?” Hop asked sniffling.

“I’m crying because you’re my best mate, and that’s never gonna change,” she replied, tears still streaming down her face.

Hop hugged her again and held tight before they pulled away. He rubbed his palm across his face, his eyes red, and smiled at her.

“Sonia said that maybe we could be the new heroes. I don’t know about myself, but I definitely know you’re hero material, Gloria.”

Gloria put a hand on his shoulder. “Hop, you’re definitely hero material. Don’t doubt yourself, please.”

Hop said nothing in response but simply smiled, basking in the cheers of the crowd.

-x-

When Gloria, Marnie and Hop exited the waiting room out into the lobby, they were greeted by friends, family and strangers alike all cheering them on. People chanted all of their names, and the loudest of all was Leon as he stood in front of them and dropped into his pose. Gloria and Hop laughed and went up to meet him, their mums looking on proudly and Bede leaning against a wall, silent.

“You two had me bawling like a baby up there,” Leon said, grinning widely. Sure enough, his eyes were rimmed red as though he had been crying. “That was beyond excellent. Absolutely amazing. There were some trainers who had doubts about you two taking on this challenge –”

“That was literally you, bro!” Hop interrupted.

“—but I had faith you would see this through to the end,” Leon finished, ignoring Hop. He ruffled both of their hairs and Gloria groaned as she tried to fix it. “What do you guys say to a celebratory dinner?”

Gloria looked at Marnie and Hop at Bede.

“I’m waitin’ on my brother to come in, so I’ll pass,” Marnie said.

“I have to speak with Opal, so don’t worry about me,” Bede said.

“That settles it!” Leon grinned. “Meet me in the hotel lobby in an hour. We’ll head out from there.”

-x-

_Three hours later…_

“Ugh, where the hell is he!” Hop said, plopping down beside Gloria on the hotel lobby steps. The brunette was on her phone, playing some kind of game. When Hop sat next to her she sighed and put it away, leaning back on her palms.

“I don’t know, but it seems a little weird that he’s this late without telling us.”

“Maybe he’s in danger!”

“Maybe.” Gloria paused. She looked out the hotel window, the sky falling to dusk, the Ferris wheel turning slowly in the distance.

She stood up and looked down at Hop. He stood as well and crossed his arms.

“Let’s go find my brother!”


	29. Leon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Abuse, forced kissing, violence

Rose stared at his reflection in the glass up in Rose Tower, pondering on the events that brought him to this very moment. He had missed the first challenger tournament purposefully, as he had been tending to his problem back in Hammerlocke, but he was running out of time. Things were spiralling out of control and it was only a matter of time before it blew up in his face, and by extension, in Galar’s face. He needed Leon… who was running late, as usual.

“Chairman?”

Rose sighed and bowed his head slightly, closing his eyes. He turned around and saw the man he had practically raised as his own son cautiously walk towards him. Leon was frowning and looked like he wanted to pick a fight. Rose put on a big grin.

“Leon, my boy! So happy to see you. Please, sit down. We have much to discuss.”

“With all due respect, Chairman, I’d like to keep it short. I am having dinner with my brother and Gloria to celebrate their accomplishments today.”

Rose’s lips turned down slightly. “Oh, I see. Well, I’ll try to keep it brief, then.” Rose cleared his throat and gestured towards the Wyndon metropolis. “Leon, what do you see here?”

Leon crossed his arms. “Wyndon? What do you mean?”

Rose clasped his hands behind his back and paused for a few seconds. “I see… the future. Galar’s future. A beautiful, bright future, where all people can live safe and healthy and comfortable. Do you see that, Leon?”

Leon relaxed his arms slowly. “Uh… yea, I guess.” He squinted. “Where do you see that, exactly?”

Rose sighed deeply and shook his head. “Leon, you know the time is coming… the time where I will need you to subdue and tame Eternatus. It’s the only way forward. I need your help with this monumental task to secure Galar’s future.”

Leon tensed and clenched his fists. “Chairman, you know I can’t do that. I don’t want to fight something that can’t even fight back!”

“You can and you will!” Rose screamed, spit flying from his mouth. Leon stepped back in shock. Rose combed his hair back, calming himself.

“You can and you will,” Rose repeated quietly, turning back to the window. “You will capture Eternatus as I bestow upon him the collected Wishing Stars and return his body to a stronger form. This is the only way I can assure that the foreseen energy crisis in ten years’ time is averted.”

“But why do we have to cancel the Championship _tomorrow_?” Leon asked angrily. “These kids have fought tooth and nail to get here and you’d just let it all go to waste? Gloria has come so far since Postwick and—”

“Oh we will deal with Gloria and her nosy attitude,” Rose sneered.

“What do you mean by that?” Leon demanded. “I won’t let you lay a finger on her!”

“I won’t hurt her,” Rose promised, “but your inability to act might inadvertently lead to harm…”

“My duty as Champion isn’t to be your errand boy!” Leon yelled. “It’s to bring hope and joy to the people of Galar, to bring up the next generation of trainers through our gym challenge and championships!”

“Leon, you still don’t understand, do you? This isn’t about you, or Gloria, or what the people want. It’s about what they _need_ and right now they _need_ their Champion to stand up and make sure there is a future for this region and its children!” Rose turned and looked directly into Leon’s eyes. “For Hop.”

Leon closed his eyes and turned his head away, clenching his teeth. “Fine,” he bit out, “I’ll help you with your plan, as long as we can continue the matches tomorrow. After then, do what you will.”

Rose smiled. “Excellent.” He looked past Leon to see Gloria and Hop running towards them.

“LEE!”

-x-

_One hour ago…_

“Let’s go find my brother!”

“Ya sure are noisy, arentcha, kid?”

Gloria and Hop swiveled to see Piers walking towards them, Marnie in tow and Morpeko on her shoulder. Marnie smiled at Gloria and went to stand next to her, holding her hand. Gloria greeted her quietly in return.

“If you put your effort from your mouth inta your battlin’, you’d unleash a whole ‘nother kinda power, ya know?” Piers commented.

“Oh, pack it in, Piers! I’m shittin’ myself from worry here!” Hop yelled. “Take your smug mug and take a hike!”

Marnie frowned and opened her mouth but Gloria squeezed her hand. Piers sighed and shook his head.

“Judgin’ by appearances eh? No wonder you lost… If you’re lookin’ for the Champion, he was headin’ down to Rose Tower. Dunno why, but he said he had somethin’ to do and told me to tell ya.”

“Rose Tower?” Gloria asked.

“But why there?” Hop asked, tapping his chin. He lifted his head and approached Piers. “Take us there, would ya? Gloria and I dunno the way.”

Piers groaned and shook his head. “Sheesh… always so demandin’, you two.” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “If the finals were held up it’d be a problem for me, I s’pose. And I can’t say I hate you two pints, ‘specially that one over there.” Gloria blinked.

He opened his eyes and grinned wickedly. “I think I’ll invite Team Yell along and we’ll have ourselves a bit o’ fun, shall we?”

Hop cheered. “Hell yea! Let’s go make a real ruckus!”

Gloria laughed and pulled Marnie along with her. The group exited the hotel and made their way towards the monorail when Oleana appeared in front of them, looking positively miffed. Morpeko squeaked and jumped on Gloria’s shoulder, nuzzling against her chin.

“Chairman Rose and Champion Leon are currently in a very important meeting,” she declared. “And there’s no way I will let anyone interfere!” She crossed her arms, looking strangely smug. “After all, only authorized personnel with the proper key can access the monorail to Rose Tower.”

Morpeko squeaked and rushed forward, leaping off Gloria’s shoulder. She launched into a Quick Attack and scurried up Oleana’s coat, stealing the swipe from her pocket before returning to Marnie’s arms. Marnie scratched her ears and collected the swipe, smirking at Oleana’s beet red shocked expression.

“How—how _dare you!_ ” she shrieked. “I will not let you board the monorail!” She ran off to the plaza, gym officials flanking her.

Hop looked back and motioned forward. “We have to hurry, let’s go!” The group dashed forward, Team Yell cheering, whooping and of course yelling on the way. Gloria looked back at Marnie as they ran, a wide grin on her face. Marnie returned her smile and let out a small laugh. Piers looked ahead at them and smiled warmly.

They finally reached the monorail terminal and entered to see gym officials guarding the stairs up to the entrance. They pulled pokeballs out and let loose their Steel-type beasts. Piers stepped forward and chuckled.

“Gloria, you’ve done a great job gettin’ this far, helpin’ Marnie out. Least I could do is sing ya a song fittin’ of your rockin’ deeds!” Some Team Yell grunt threw him a microphone and stand, and he started singing into it passionately. Team Yell hollered and rushed forward, taking the officials head on. Marnie, Gloria and Hop took advantage of the commotion and quickly went up the stairs.

“Piers! Thanks!” Hop yelled as they boarded the monorail. Piers smirked and held the stand close to him as Obstagoon was let out.

-x-

The trio exited the monorail and looked up at the skyscraper in front. It stretched up to the heavens, with thorn-like structures swirling around it up to the summit. They gazed at it in wonder as they approached, knowing Leon was up there.

“So this is the Rose Tower, huh,” Hop said, eyes wide. “It’s gorgeous! I can’t even see the top.”

“Hop, we have to get moving,” Gloria reminded him. “Who knows how long we have with Piers holding up the others?”

“Gloria’s righ’, let’s get goin’,” Marnie said. “The Chairman’s had Leon holed up in there for hours. Who knows what he’s plottin’.”

Hop frowned. “I won’t let him hurt big bro!”

The trio rushed to the doors of the tower and went in. Inside, more officials stood around and pointed at them. “Intruders!”

The three took care of their opponents with ease, Inteleon, Cinderace and Morpeko delivering crushing blows. The receptionist put her hands up in surrender. “I just work here part-time,” she said nervously.

Gloria sighed and relaxed. “Okay, up the lift we go.”

“Wait,” Hop said. “You should know that the tower is built on a Power Spot, so things might get sticky quick if we’re not careful.”

“No worries, Hop,” Marnie said, smirking. “We do have the future Champion with us, after all.”

Gloria grinned brightly and smooched her cheek. “Thank you.” She opened the doors to the lift and beckoned her friends forward. “Shall we go save your hopeless brother?”

-x-

Oleana paced back and forth, her eyes wide, her hair frayed and her nails chewed off. She tried! She tried so hard to keep these kids away, but damn it they never listened to her! She hoped the Chairman was feeling merciful tonight. She bought him as much time as she possibly could, and she hoped that it was good enough.

She heard footsteps and lifted her wild gaze up to see the three young trainers from the tournament running towards her. She stepped forward and calmed her expression, gazing haughtily upon the trio.

“Welcome to the Chairman’s tower,” she said, her heels clacking. “I am impressed that you managed to fight your way through all of my appointed guards. I should not be surprised since you all are quite special trainers.” She stopped and widened her eyes manically.

“Unfortunately, it is now time for you to go home. I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO DISTURB THE GREAT CHAIRMAN ROSE!” She pointed at Gloria. “You will be first, Gloria! If I defeat you then Leon will have no one to battle tomorrow and will do anything Rose asks!”

Gloria stepped forward but was blocked by Marnie’s arm. She looked to see her girlfriend glaring ferociously at the blonde woman. “You an’ Hop go to Leon. I’ll take care of her.”

“Marn—”

“Go!” she yelled. “I’ll be okay.”

“Marnie,” Gloria’s eyes softened. “I lo—”

“Let’s go Gloria!” Hop shouted, grabbing her arm to dodge a Hydro Pump from Oleana’s Milotic. Oleana went to stop them from running past her but covered her face with her arms when the floor in front of her blew up in sparks. She looked up to see Morpeko glaring at her in Hangry mode, Marnie equally pissed.

-x-

_Present…_

“LEE!”

Leon turned around and jumped when his brother caught him in a hug. “Hop?” He looked up. “And Gloria?”

She waved weakly. “And Marnie, but she’s kinda busy right now?”

Hop pulled back and crossed his arms. “You didn’t show at the hotel on time so I got worried that something bad happened to you. Gloria helped and so did Piers an’ Marnie an’ Team Yell so that we could get here.”

Leon’s eyes softened. “Hop…”

Rose’s heels clacked against the floor as he approached them. Gloria felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise when she saw the fake smile plastered on his face. “I am deeply sorry for worrying you, Hop. I was speaking with Leon about urgent matters and we struggled to come to an understanding. Sometimes our pride gets in the way.”

Hop opened his mouth to say something but Leon interrupted him. “Don’t worry about it, you two. Let’s head out and get some dinner, yea?” He looked at Rose coldly. “If you’ll excuse us, Chairman…”

Rose put his arms up to placate him. “Of course, of course… I do believe we’re done here.”

“You should try and catch the match tomorrow,” Leon suggested, glancing over at Gloria with a smile. “It’ll be one for the history books!” He snapped his cape as he turned and beckoned Gloria and Hop to follow him. As Gloria left, she turned her head to see Rose face out the window, his hands clasped behind his back.

-x-

When they reached the lower floor, Gloria was happy to see Marnie standing over Oleana, looking like she had won the battle. Though there was a concerning frown on her features, Gloria was immensely relieved to see her safe and healthy. Marnie looked up when she saw them and smiled. Gloria ran up to her and looked her over.

“’M fine, Glo…” Marnie mumbled, touched. She took Gloria’s hands and squeezed them in reassurance. Gloria smiled then looked down at Oleana, who was panting heavily as she shakily stood up. She wiped sweat from her brow and swallowed heavily, glancing over at Leon as he crossed his arms. Leon relaxed and approached her slowly, concerned.

“Miss Oleana, are you okay?”

“I-I’m…” Oleana stuttered. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned around, marching briskly up to Rose’s office. Leon sighed and shook his head.

“Well, not much we can do about that. Let’s head out for dinner, yea? Marnie, please say you will join us. And get your brother to come along!”

“Will do.”

Gloria followed behind the brothers as they chatted and stayed close to Marnie, deep in thought. She had a sinking feeling in her gut that something was going to go horribly, horribly wrong tomorrow.

-x-

“C-chairman…” Oleana stuttered as she entered his office.

Rose turned his head slightly to acknowledge her. “Oleana.” She saw smoke blow from his face and peeked down at his hand to see a lit cigarette. Her thighs tingled slightly. She inhaled and exhaled slowly to calm down.

It was rare to see him in one of these moods, usually he kept his anger tempered underneath a sea of calm and quiet rage. But Leon may have said something to tip him over the edge and now she would be the one suffering for it. But she loved him, and she did not want him to be alone in these dark moments. Despite everything, he had been the one to pull her out of her terrible past. He had been there for her when no one else was, and now she owed him the same.

“I’m d-deeply sorry for allowing intruders into the Rose Tower. I take full responsibility for—” she paused when Rose erupted into laughter. Rose put a hand on the glass to steady himself as he bent over. His laugh was sharp and irregular, and the sound caused a prickling sensation in the back of her head.

“Chairman?” she said softly, approaching him. He stopped suddenly and glared straight at her, moving so quickly she gasped when he grabbed her wrist and lifted it between them. He brought the cigarette close to her forearm and she trembled.

“Tomorrow, I will punish Leon for his disobedience,” he seethed. “I will bring about the Darkest Day and _force_ him to comply. This is for Galar’s future!” His eyes widened further and he grinned maniacally. “Oleana, you understand, don’t you? Why this is necessary?”

“Y-yes sir… please, let go… you’re hurting me,” she whimpered, looking away from his furious gaze.

“Oh Oleana… so sweet, so delicate. I still remember the day we met,” he reminisced, his tone taking on a smoother note. “You were so, so young and so, so eager… so willing to please.” His grin turned lecherous and she flinched when he brought his face closer to hers. “You don’t mind, no? You’ve never complained before…”

She gasped when he planted the cigarette butt on her forearm. She started to scream but he quickly covered her mouth with his own. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled, but he kept a vice grip on her.

Soon it was over and he let her go. She stumbled back and gripped her forearm tightly. He turned back to the window and put his cigarette out in an ashtray.

“Prepare my things for tonight. Tomorrow, we will bring about the Darkest Day.”


	30. The Darkest Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Six more chapters to go! Wow! Hope you all have enjoyed this so far. There are still loads of twists coming, so get ready for a wild ride.

Gloria entered the lobby, yawning as she stretched. Today was the big day, the day where she would see once and for all if she was truly Champion material. She thought back to when she started her journey and smiled, remembering Sobble and Rookidee. _They were so small!_

She saw Hop, Marnie and Bede chatting and went up to them, wide grin on her face. “Hey!” The three trainers looked at her with differing expressions: Hop, with obvious excitement; Marnie, with quiet pride; Bede, with… guilt? She frowned a little when he averted his eyes, but quickly smiled when Marnie held her hand.

“You ready?” Marnie asked softly.

“Ready as I’ll ever be!”

“That’s my best mate right there!” Hop shouted.

Bede smirked. “Good luck, Gloria.” He rubbed his arms slightly and looked away again.

Before Gloria could comment on Bede’s strange behaviour, a gym official came up to them and offered to escort Gloria to the stadium. Hop immediately got up in her face, pokeball in hand.

“Didn’t we teach you chaps a lesson last night?” he yelled. “Or should I have Cinderace teach ya again?!”

“W-wait!” The woman raised her hands in surrender. “I-I think there is a misunderstanding here. I’m not like those other staff members, I’m good! I promise!”

Hop lowered his pokeball but narrowed his gaze at her. “One funny step and you’ll get it!”

“Understood!”

Gloria exhaled nervously.

This was it.

-x-

They entered the stadium lobby and Gloria was stunned to hear chants of her name around the stadium and inside the building. She registered her entry and quickly changed into her uniform and came back out to speak with her friends one more time. Hop and Bede went ahead to find seats but Marnie stayed behind. Gloria turned to her curiously and let herself be dragged to a secluded corner. Before Gloria could say anything, Marnie pressed her against the wall and kissed her passionately, hands moving to grab her from behind. The cheers, the stadium walls and the ominous prickling at the back of her head faded away and all she could think about was _marniemarniemarnie…_

When Marnie pulled away, she was blushing deeply, more than any time Gloria had seen her. Marnie’s fingers traced over the ’69’ embroidered on the rim of her shorts, her fingers skimming her thighs occasionally. Marnie stifled a chuckle at that and looked down at Gloria, squeezing out every last bit of the two inches she had on her. Gloria couldn’t find the words as she looked up into her turquoise eyes, wondering how on Earth she had gotten so lucky. _Because that’s just it, right? This was all luck… and a little bit of effort on our part._

“Gloria,” Marnie whispered. “Do your best out there, yea? I’m rootin’ for you…”

“Marnie,” Gloria started, eyes wide. “I-I… I just want to say… I l-lo—”

_Attention audience members: please make your way to your seats. We will be starting shortly._

Gloria sighed in frustration and Marnie gave her a chaste kiss in apology. “We’ll talk more when you win.”

Gloria’s eyes twinkled and she grinned. “You got it, Marn.”

“That’s my girl.”

-x-

Gloria entered the waiting room and found all the gym leaders she had fought and defeated milling about. _If I beat these guys once before, I can do it again!_ she thought fiercely. She looked up as Piers approached her, hand on his hip.

“Well if it isn’t the gal I caught tryna have a bit o’ the ol’ “how’s your father” with Marnie!” Piers smirked when Gloria blushed brightly.

“Uh… I…” Gloria stumbled over her words as she figured out what she wanted to say. Finally, she took a deep breath and exhaled. “Thanks for your help yesterday, Piers. We really appreciated it.”

Piers shrugged. “I was feelin’ particularly bored, and Marn gave me those sad eyes, you know the ones, and I jus’ couldn’ say no, ya know?” He sighed. “Well, hopefully this is over quick an’ I can go back t’ Spikemuth. Maybe Marnie can finally take over the gym for me.”

Gloria tilted her head. “Marnie wants to take over the gym?”

“I wouldn’ say she _wants_ to, but she will.” Piers smirked again, then walked away, likely to prep his team.

Gloria looked around and approached Nessa, who smiled upon seeing her. “Hey, Nessa!”

“Gloria, hi.” The brunette couldn’t help but blush at the attention Nessa gave her—she really was beautiful. “Good luck out there! Sorry, but I hope you’re ready to go home early today, because I’m planning on winning.”

Gloria laughed and shook her head. “Yea, right. You’re not the only one with a girl to impress.” Nessa smirked and bumped her with her hip.

“Sonia’s here, by the way. Poor thing’s torn apart on whether to cheer for me or you,” the Water expert laughed. “Told her you’d need the cheers a lot more than me…”

“Hey!” Gloria stuck her tongue out. “Big talk for someone who lost to me.”

Nessa gasped, hand to her chest. “I thought you knew we were all going easy on you newbies. This tournament is the real deal, sweetie.”

“Hm, we’ll see about that.” Gloria waved and turned away. “I’ll catch you later!” Nessa waved back and Gloria smiled as she went to mingle with the others. It warmed her heart to know Sonia was here to support her. She truly felt like the older woman was part of her family.

She chatted with each of the gym leaders, noting that Gordie was missing. Melony sighed and shook her head. “Gordie’s going through a phase right now, says he doesn’t want to do any gym-related activities.”

Opal was also missing, but she was an odd one to start with, so Gloria didn’t question it. She approached the Stow-on-Side siblings and smiled brightly. “Hey, nice to see you two again!” She ruffled Allister’s hair and he peeked up at her shyly through the holes in his mask. Bea crossed her arms and smiled lightly.

“Yes, we had quite the mess to clean up after you left…” Bea trailed off, seeing the guilty expression on Gloria’s face. She uncrossed her arms and blushed. “N-not that we minded,” she stammered. She elbowed her brother, who jumped and rubbed his shoulder. “Right Alli?”

“R-right,” Allister mumbled.

“You two are adorable,” Gloria said, bringing them in for a hug. “I almost feel bad I have to crush you all again out there!” When she pulled back, Bea’s face was beet red and Allister’s head was tilted to the side.

“Who s-says you’ll win…” Allister said. He pointed behind her. “There’s a hand o-on your shoulder…”

Gloria’s smile faded and she looked behind her. When she returned her gaze forward, a Cursola stood in his place, swaying. It stared at her, expressionless, and she shivered. Bea cleared her throat and put a hand to her hip. She sighed and shook her head.

“He’s playing his mind games with you, Gloria. Don’t worry about it.”

Gloria nodded shakily and let out a breath. Soon, her attention was drawn to the tunnel, where a gym official beckoned her through. There, in the centre of the pitch, stood Leon, looking perfectly at home as he hyped the crowd up with Charizard.

“Hello Galar!” he boomed. “It goes without saying that I am your Champion, Leon! The Chairman is a little busy right now, so I will have the honour of moderating this amazing Finals! Can I get a cheer?!”

The crowd roared and hollered, and he grinned as Charizard flew around him. Gloria stood with the other gym leaders around on the pitch, watching his speech fondly. Despite everything, she loved him like she loved Hop. She only hoped he had not gone too far down the path Rose was setting for him.

“Let the Finals matches… begin!” Fireworks erupted and the crowd cheered again as everyone got into position. Gloria turned to leave the pitch when she heard her name called from behind. She swiveled and saw Bede standing across from her in a Fairy uniform. All around them, the crowd murmured and gasped as they remembered Bede as the challenger endorsed by the chairman who was shamefully disqualified. Hop stood up and his jaw dropped while Marnie sighed.

“I thought he was goin’ to take a piss!” Hop sputtered.

“A moment, if I may,” Bede started. “I was disqualified for frankly intolerable behaviour. But, I have a score to settle with Gloria.” He turned to her with a smile. “I don’t think I was able to show you exactly what I can do, and I am aware this is against the rules, but I hope you’ll indulge me and allow me to show everyone how great Fairy types are!” He smirked. “And this might also be a little payback for putting me on the hardest self-discovery journey I have ever experienced.”

Gloria simply took her position and tossed a pokeball into the centre, Corviknight appearing tall and strong. Bede sent out Mawile and readied a battle stance. Mawile eagerly snapped her jaw at Corviknight when she approached, and she squawked in annoyance.

Gloria swiped her arm across the air. “Take her down! Iron Head!” Corviknight screeched and barrelled towards Mawile who quickly followed with a Sucker Punch to overtake the Steel bird. Corviknight took the hit but delivered the blow to Mawile, who survived but barely. Gloria commanded Corviknight to dive back in, then gasped when she noticed the flames building in Mawile’s jaw.

“Fire Fang!” Corviknight took the hit directly and collapsed onto the ground. Gloria recalled her and sent out Ninetails, who made quick work of Mawile.

Bede narrowed his eyes and Gloria smiled sweetly.

He sent out Gardevoir and tried to use Psychic, but Ninetails’ own prowess overpowered the Pokemon with her Shadow Ball, and she went down quickly as well. He sent out Rapidash next, who trotted in place before bowing his head towards his opponent. “Agility!”

“Will-O-Wisp!”

Rapidash took the burn but came back faster with a Stomp that made Ninetails flinch. Bede then took out Ninetails with two back-to-back Dazzling Gleam attacks. Gloria sent out Inteleon to replace Ninetails but wasn’t able to overcome Rapidash’s increased speed. Rapidash used another Stomp but Inteleon leapt into the air and came back with a Sucker Punch.

“Stay, Inteleon. Wait!” Inteleon stumbled a bit but obeyed, waiting for further orders. Rapidash galloped towards them at full speed. “Now, Snipe Shot!”

At the speed Rapidash was going, he wouldn’t be able to turn in time. Bede seemed to realize this, too, but failed to call out an order before his Pokemon took the hit and was knocked out.

He summoned Whimsicott next and called for a Sunny Day immediately. Gloria’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “U-Turn, Inteleon!”

“Oh no you don’t!” Bede yelled. “Dodge, then Solar Beam.” Whimsicott was too fast for Inteleon thanks to his Chlorophyll ability, and his Solar Beam charged up right away in the sun. It blasted against Inteleon. He collapsed to the ground, motionless.

“Thanks buddy,” Gloria mumbled. She sent out Roserade, who twirled elegantly. Whimsicott puffed his cheeks up and squealed. Roserade turned her nose up. Bede met Gloria’s eyes and she shrugged.

“Leaf Storm!”

“Moonblast!”

The attacks hit each other and exploded, leaves and fairy dust flying in the air. When the dust settled, Bede opened his eyes to see Roserade’s roses pressed up against Whimsicott.

“Cross-Poison!” Whimsicott fell to the ground, defeated. Bede sighed and sent out Sylveon. Gloria recalled Roserade and sent out Lucario.

“Sylveon, Mystical Fire!”

“Meteor Mash, Lucario!”

Bede watched anxiously as Lucario ran through the flames, sustaining damage but pressing on anyway. His paws glowed white and he slammed them into Sylveon’s body, sending her flying against the stadium wall. Bede called her back and sent out Hatterene, his final Pokemon.

“We’re not going to lose!” Bede declared. He Gigantamaxed his Pokemon and Gloria watched silently as the creature grew taller.

“You’ve got this Lucario!” Gloria yelled. “Meteor Mash!”

Lucario ran to the beast, arms behind them and dodging blows left and right. Bede’s eyes narrowed and he ordered his next move.

“Max Mindstorm!”

Lucario’s paws glowed and just as he was about to land on Hatterene, the Max Mindstorm blew him back in a powerful psychic blast. He fell to the ground and fainted. Gloria thanked him and sent out Roserade again, who didn’t seem worried at all.

“You know what to do, just like always!” Gloria said. Bede blinked and ordered another Max Mindstorm. Roserade leapt into the air and gracefully dodged the blasts before cutting straight across Hatterene with a single Cross-Poison. The Gigantamax Pokemon cried out in pain and stumbled back. Gloria took advantage of this to unleash another Cross-Poison, ending the match. Explosions sounded across Hatterene’s body as she shrunk back to normal size and fainted from exhaustion. Bede gripped her great ball in his hand tightly and sighed. He looked up at Gloria as she tended to Roserade and approached her determinedly.

He put his hand out. “I would like to formally apologize for all the things I’ve said and done,” he said. Gloria took his hand then pulled him into a hug, startling him. He sniffled a bit then looked up to push his tears back. When she pulled away, he had restored his cool expression.

“All forgiven, mate. You’re my best mate’s boyfriend, after all.”

Gloria grinned and raised Bede’s arm with one hand while raising her other arm. The crowd chanted both their names in tandem.

-x-

The rest of the tournament went by swiftly, Gloria outmatching all of the gym leaders she went up against. They were shocked that she could take on their tournament-ready Pokemon but were happy that she seemed strong enough to take on Leon. Gloria sat alone in the waiting room and bounced her leg as she tried to focus. She had not had to use her last resort just yet, which worked out perfectly for her. This Pokemon was too dangerous to use casually and should only ever be used when she had no other option. Or when she wanted to give the unbeatable champion a good thrashing.

She could hear the crowd chanting outside, eager to see the main event. Will she defeat the old champion and claim his title? Or will he defeat her and reaffirm his position as the strongest trainer in all of Galar?

She stood up and approached the tunnel, leaning her shoulder against the side. She looked out over the pitch and jumped when she heard a voice behind her. “Gloria?”

She turned around to see Hop, Cinderace by his side. He looked at peace with everything, like he’d finally gotten what he wanted after searching for so long. “So, this is it, huh? I’m feeling a little conflicted ‘cause I don’t know who to cheer for—my big bro or my rival?”

“You should cheer for me, obviously,” Gloria joked. Cinderace made a noise of approval and nodded and Hop turned to him with a grin.

“Well, it’s decided then! Gloria, you can do this. Beat Leon!” He put out a fist and she met him with her own.

She heard the announcer call her name and nodded at Hop before she turned away and entered the tunnel. The lights blinded her, and she still felt like she was gonna throw up, but she was ready to give Leon the hardest fight he would ever have.

She met him in the middle of the pitch. He stood with his arms crossed and he had a look of excitement and pride on his face. “Gloria, I am so proud to see you here today in front of me. You have shown your prowess as a trainer throughout your journey, and it has led you here today, on the pitch in front of me. I love battling and I love giving it my all, seeing my Pokemon put in their hearts and souls into every battle to seize victory is an amazing feeling, wouldn’t you say?” He relaxed his stance and faced her fully.

“I am the Galar champion Leon and with the knowledge and experience of my team, we will crush you!”

Gloria smirked. “We’ll see about that, Champion!” They shared a grin and went to their sides of the pitch, anticipation building in their bellies. Before Gloria could reach for her pokeball, her heart dropped when she looked up behind Leon at the monitor.

It was Rose, smiling gleefully like he’d found the secrets to the universe.

“Hello, Leon, Gloria. I hope you’re having a _champion_ time. I’m just letting you know that I’m going to bring about the Darkest Day… for Galar’s future of course!” He cackled on the screen. When he wiped the tears from his eyes, he cleared his throat. “There’s just one problem of course…”

Gloria’s vision flooded with pink light as the centre of the pitch was pierced by a beam of Dynamax energy emanating from the earth. The earth tremored and she quickly summoned Corviknight and climbed atop her and away from the splitting terrain. She looked up and saw Leon on Charizard, glaring coldly at the screen.

“…we’re having a bit of a problem trying to control all this energy! I’m sorry it’s come to this, but this is all your fault, Leon! You refused to listen!” The screen showed all the other stadiums bursting with the pink light. It seemed like all the Dynamax entry points were being overloaded with energy and were unable to control the burst of Galar particles. The screen went dark and the crowd panicked, trying to get out of the stadium all at once. Various gym officials and all the Gym Leaders quickly took charge and corralled the people to safety.

Leon met Gloria’s eyes and motioned his head at the tunnel. When they landed she jumped off Corviknight and stomped angrily over to Charizard. “Leon! What does he mean this is all your fault? What are you hiding from us?”

Leon stayed atop Charizard, as though it were safer there, and sighed as he lowered his head. The rim of his cap obscured his face as he spoke. “I-I’m sorry Gloria, I tried to stop him, I did, but he…” he trailed off as though unable to finish his sentence. This only infuriated Gloria further.

“You’re the strongest trainer in all of Galar!” Gloria yelled. “You could have crushed him and be done with it!”

The champion averted his gaze but said nothing. Gloria felt like there was more to the story than just Leon’s lack of effort but before she could question him further, Hop, Marnie and Bede rushed down the tunnel. Marnie went straight to Gloria, her eyes wide, but other than a little dust from the ground, Gloria was fine.

“That looked like it was from Hammerlocke stadium, yea?” Hop said.

Bede nodded. “Indeed. Upon closer inspection, it looked to have originated from the Energy Plant.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Gloria said furiously. “Let’s go!”

“No! Stop.” Leon’s voice was firm and harsh. Gloria turned to face him and opened her mouth but he interrupted her sternly. “No. This is my mess and I will clean it up. You all should get to safety. I should have known he would pull something like this. It’s up to me to fix it. It’s my duty as Champion.” Leon tapped Charizard’s thigh with his foot and the dragon roared and took off into the sky, Hammerlocke-bound.

Gloria’s phone started ringing and she saw it was from Sonia. When she answered Sonia’s voice came in unfiltered and panicked.

_“Hey! Are you okay?”_

“I’m fine. I’m with Bede, Hop and Marnie. Leon just took off to Hammerlocke and I’m going to follow him.”

_“No! Don’t do that. You and Hop have to get to the Slumbering Weald. If what Rose said is true—”_

“Then we can get help from the heroes!” Hop finished, fist in his palm.

 _“Right! Okay, I’ve gotta go. I have to check on something in the lab but I’ll meet you there, so get going as quickly as possible, ‘k?”_ Sonia hung up.

Hop turned to Bede. “Sorry, but it’s gonna be a Postwick mates-only trip.”

Bede crossed his arms. “No worries, I will remain here to help with evacuation efforts, then head to Ballonlea to see if there’s anything I can do there.” He kissed Hop’s cheek. “Be safe.”

Marnie nodded. “Yea,” she agreed, “we’ll be more useful here helpin’ th’ others.” She smiled at Gloria slightly. “Come back in one piece, ya hear?”

“Loud and clear!”

Gloria and Hop mounted their Corviknights and looked down at their loved ones. Gloria took off, hair whipping around from the wind. Hop breathed out slowly then followed her. Down below, Marnie and Bede waved and hoped they would see them again soon.

-x-

They landed in Postwick in front of Gloria’s house, the town eerily quiet. Gloria looked at her house then paled.

“Hop, are our mums okay?” she yelled.

“Yea, don’t worry they’re fine. I had Piers get ‘em back to the hotel for us. You’ll be lucky to have him as a brother-in-law someday!”

Gloria blushed and said nothing, running over to the still-broken gate. “Has no one bothered to fix this yet?” she sighed. She looked around and frowned. “Sonia’s not here yet.”

“We don’t have time to wait for her, we have to go!” Hop said, running past the gate. Gloria followed him and they started the familiar route they had taken so long ago. The forest was surrounded with a light fog. Pokemon peeked up at them through branches and quickly hid.

“Ready for this, Gloria? I hope we don’t run into another fog again…” Hop sighed.

“Even if we do, we’re so much stronger now than before,” Gloria reminded. She stepped around a Skwovet and smiled at it.

“You’re right! Let’s find this Pokemon and add this tale to our legend.” Hop bounced excitedly and went ahead. Gloria shook her head and sighed. She followed him through the forest, dodging around Pokemon to avoid battling too much to hurry. The further she trekked into the forest, the clearer the sounds of a Pokemon howling became.

_I’ve heard that before…_

The fog thickened more and more, but rather than dimming her resolve, it only strengthened her further. Finally, she saw Hop standing in front of a bridge, a rolling fog behind him.

“Oi! What’s with this thick fog?” Hop complained.

“It means we’re getting close,” Gloria concluded, looking around. “Or rather… _it’s_ getting close!”

They heard footsteps and turned to the bridge to see the same Pokemon they had met all those months ago, except much clearer. Gloria once again felt penetrated by the look in its eyes as it lowered its head to look at her. She was so entranced she missed the other shape behind it, but quickly snapped her attention to it when Hop gasped.

“There are two of ‘em!”

The one behind the magenta wolf was cyan in colour and had long braided pink fur along either side of its head. Both Pokemon howled lowly and eyed them. Hop stared in amazement. “They really are here… the sword and shield Pokemon! Wicked!”

The front wolf howled and a thick fog swept in to cover both Pokemon. When it receded, they had disappeared, like a wave crashing on a shore. Hop ran forward in disbelief.

“Hey! Where’re you going?! We need your help! We’ve got our own Darkest Day going on here!”

“What in the world are you two doing?!” Gloria and Hop turned to see Sonia look at them weirdly. Hop threw his hands in the air.

“Oh come off it, Sonia. Tell me you saw that! Gloria, you saw that, right?” Gloria nodded. “The sword and shield Pokemon were right in front of us! They went deeper into the forest.”

Sonia cautiously approached them. “Hop, you sure you haven’t lost the plot? There’s no one here but you two…”

Hop pondered. “Maybe they were… illusions?” He looked at Gloria who shrugged.

“I know just as much as you, mate.”

“Listen!” Sonia interrupted excitedly. “I looked into some of the literature in other regions, and I think I’ve found something! The two Pokemon we’re looking for are Zacian, the sword Pokemon and Zamazenta, the shield Pokemon. These two were born somewhere far away from here a long time ago. So they do exist!” she explained.

Hop grinned. “So we aren’t completely off our rocker! Ta, Sonia, appreciate you looking into this!” He turned to Gloria. “Even if they were illusions, we did manage to find that Pokemon again…”

“It must be close,” Gloria concluded. “I can feel it. I’m not sure if you felt it, but it was like it was trying to establish a connection with me.”

Hop nodded. “Yea, I get what you mean! When that other one came out, I felt it was trying to paw at my soul!” He grabbed his chest. “Felt so weird… we need to hurry and find them! We might also be able to find their sword and shield here, too!” He ran ahead and Gloria followed him deeper into the fog.

The deeper they went, the thinner the fog became until it disappeared entirely. Gloria looked around at the beautiful forest, the dying light from the setting sun streaming in through the leaves. A shy wind rustled the trees and carried waves across the lake. The shimmering lake wrapped around the path and behind a dilapidated arch that abruptly ended the trail. Below the arch, there appeared to be a pedestal.

Hop stopped running. “Would you take a look at that, Gloria! This is definitely the stuff of legends.”

She approached the arch cautiously behind Hop. When they reached it, they looked around but found no sign of the two Pokemon they had seen. Instead, on the stone floor, were a rusted sword and shield.

“Hop, look!”

“Yea! The sword and shield, just like I said!”

Gloria made her way to the two objects and felt her hand move of its own accord toward the shield. She just knew that this one belonged to her. It called to her quietly and did not stop buzzing in her mind until she finally picked it up. Almost immediately the buzzing ended and the feeling of despair she’d had in the pit of her stomach vanished.

“Wow…” she mumbled, glancing down at the shield with wide eyes. Beside her, Hop seemed to be experiencing the same feeling, if his incoherent noises were any indication. “You felt that, right?”

“Oh definitely… I don’t know how useful these things are, but we should bring them along anyway just in case!” He sighed as he looked around. “I was really hoping the Pokemon would be here, but maybe they really are still asleep. Looks like we’re on our own! We have to go help Lee soon as we can!”

They mounted their Corviknights and took off into the sky, leaving the sleepy forest behind them.


	31. Rose

Hop and Gloria flew towards Hammerlocke stadium as fast as their Corviknights would allow. The Dynamax beams from all around Galar were still shooting up into the sky. The Galar particles scattered off of the atmosphere, creating a pink glow. It looked like pillars of light were holding the sky from falling, which was likely an apt metaphor for their situation right now.

“Gloria! Down there, let’s go!”

Gloria leaned forward on Corviknight as she descended towards Hammerlocke. They landed just before the bridge that led to the stadium and called back their Pokemon. Inteleon and Cinderace came out of their balls, sensing danger coming to their trainers. They rushed ahead to the maw of the building but were intercepted by Raihan, who ran from inside the stadium. He looked slightly pale but otherwise unharmed.

“Hey, you two! Just in the nick of time,” Raihan panted, hands on his knees. “I’ve been holding back most of the Dynamax Pokemon with my team and my gym trainers. The citizens are being evacuated all over the region with the help of everyone.” He straightened and scowled deeply. “I can’t believe the Chairman would bring about the Darkest Day for energy! Not cool!”

Hop threw his hands in the air. “I don’t care about the Chairman! I’m going ahead to save Lee!” He ran ahead, leaving the two trainers behind.

Gloria sighed and Raihan put his arms behind his back. “That Hop sure doesn’t know how to slow down! No one’s been hurt, miraculously, which is the key thing here.”

“That’s good,” Gloria breathed. “I was worried that we’d come back to find this city in ruins.”

Raihan grinned widely. “It’ll take more than that to take the great Raihan down!” He relaxed and put a hand on his hip. “So, are you going to help our Champion? Gonna save everyone in Galar?”

Gloria put her hands on her hips and frowned. “Do Corviknight fly? Of course I am! What do you think I’m doing here?”

“Heh, was only joking,” Raihan chuckled. “With you, Leon and Hop teaming up, I almost feel sorry for Rose… almost!” His eyes widened as he looked behind her. “Shit! More of ‘em! I’ve gotta go take this, but good luck! We believe in you.”

He ran to start a battle with a Dynamax Fraxure. Gloria took a deep breath and ventured further into the stadium. She hoped Hop hadn’t gone too far ahead. She stopped running when she saw Oleana pacing in front of the glass doors that led into the Energy Plant. Beside her, a gym official was knocked out cold.

Oleana’s eyes widened when she noticed her. She quickly marched to her and put her hands together as though she were praying. She had definitely seen better days and looked even worse than after her battle with Marnie yesterday.

“Challenger Gloria, you must—” she paused. “ _please help me!”_ she sobbed. She fell to her knees and wailed, her voice echoing in the stadium lobby. Gloria looked around and fidgeted uncomfortably but knelt down to comfort her. She patted her shoulder awkwardly.

“Hey, miss Oleana, it’ll be alright, okay? We’ll stop the Chairman and save Galar,” Gloria promised.

“I-it’s not that,” Oleana stuttered in between sobs, “i-it’s the Chairman! My Pokemon Dynamaxed out of nowhere! Raihan was able to get them under control, but I worry the plant would collapse if Pokemon Dynamax in there.” She shuddered and hugged herself. “The Chairman… Rose… he’s still in there.” She looked up at Gloria, her eyes shining with tears. “Please… stop him and save him.”

Gloria glanced down and her blood ran cold when she noticed the welt on the other woman’s forearm. She gripped her wrist and snapped her eyes up when the blonde woman flinched. “Oleana, what did he do to you…?”

“It doesn’t matter!” she yelled, ripping her arm back. “You have to stop him. He’s released a Pokemon known as Eternatus. The energy from its body is what causes Dynamaxing. If you don’t stop them—Rose and Eternatus—all the Pokemon in Galar will go berserk!”

“Oleana…” Gloria whispered. She stood up and nodded resolutely. “Okay. Where do I go?”

Oleana pointed at the glass doors. Gloria remembered what she had seen when she had gone there last time. She had wanted to tell Sonia, but Professor Magnolia’s pleas had stayed her hand. _He was hiding everything right here under our noses… the cunt!_

“Go somewhere safe,” she said. “Things might get dangerous really fast.”

Oleana nodded and stood up shakily. She went to help the passed-out gym official by swinging their arm over her shoulder. “The Champion’s younger brother is already in there, floor B2.” She shuffled out of the area slowly, careful not to injure the official further. She stopped then turned around “…and… there was someone else who went in there, too. He knocked out my employee and pushed right past me. Be careful.”

Gloria exhaled slowly and stepped inside the lift. She pushed the button and closed her eyes as she waited. When the _ping!_ rang out, she opened her eyes and exited. The heavy breathing from before was gone, but she heard an agonized yell. _That sounded like… Hop!_ Fear gripped her heart and she ran down the familiar hallway, Inteleon close behind. When she turned the corner, she saw Hop being lifted in the air by Rose. Cinderace lay unmoving on the ground near him with Perrserker over him.

The glowing orb she had seen before had been shattered. One half remained intact, albeit jagged, but the other was presumably in pieces, surrounding them. There were what appeared to be tubes around the platform they stood on. They contained cylinders of light arranged in rings and gave the room an ethereal glow.

Without her saying anything, Inteleon immediately unleashed a Snipe Shot and sent Rose flying back. Perrserker rushed to his trainer and saved him from falling over the edge of the platform. Gloria ran towards Hop and held him in her arms as she slid to her knees, assessing the damage.

“Hop! You idiot, why didn’t you wait for me?” Gloria said, crying. “You always do this!”

“This is just another tale of our legend!” he chuckled. He looked up at her and smiled shakily. “Give ‘im a beating for me, would ya?” She helped him stand up and he limped over to Cinderace. “I just need to rest for a bit and heal my team. I’ll be fine.”

“You better be, dummy.” She wiped her eyes and clenched her fists. She turned her head to Rose, who looked at the duo while stroking his beard. “Rose!” she yelled. “You’ve pissed off the wrong gal!”

“Do you not understand what is happening right now?” Rose turned his nose up condescendingly. “Soon, I will have Eternatus within my grasp, fully under my control. I could crush you like a Caterpie. I’ve waited _decades_ for this, back when my father and I first discovered Eternatus and the seal it resided in. We were but miners, back then. But my father’s ingenuity and my talent soon put us on top of the entire Galar region!” He grinned. “Do you know how you are able to Dynamax your Pokemon? Those Wishing Stars are actually parts of Eternatus’ body! Yes! Without you even realizing it, you were using the body parts of Pokemon to battle all along!” He laughed maniacally.

“You are sick, Rose,” Gloria said, scowling. Suddenly, her eyes widened as a thought came to her. “Back in Motostoke, what were you—”

“Oh it’s true that we were testing batteries,” Rose interrupted, his grin fading to a smile. “But when those Pokemon ran out of juice, well, we tried to see if we could make our _own_ Wishing Stars…”

“How could you?!” Gloria shrieked in anger. “How could you do something so cruel to Pokemon and think you are any good?! I won’t let you get away with this!”

“I’ve been waiting for this moment,” Rose said, his voice rising. “To put you in your place! Perrserker, Iron Head!”

“Inteleon, Sucker Punch! Then Hydro Pump!”

Perrserker flew back when Inteleon delivered an uppercut to his chin. He then grabbed the front of Perrserker’s mane and hit him with a point-blank Hydro Pump, knocking him out instantly. Rose grit his teeth then summoned Escavalier.

“Why, Rose?” Gloria demanded. “Why are you doing all this? Is this really for the best of Galar?”

“You wouldn’t understand! You and Leon are both so short-sighted. We are facing a crisis unlike any other! We need to act now before thousands, _millions_ , die! Escavalier, Bug Buzz!”

Inteleon took the hit and fell to one knee, breathing heavily. “Snipe Shot!” He brought his hand out to shoot but saw no target. Gloria gasped. “Up!”

“X-Scissor!” Inteleon fell to the ground and Gloria recalled him. She sent out Ninetails and had her use Inferno, taking Escavalier out.

“There are other ways to save lives than bringing about the worst day in Galarian history!”

“I will not let you interfere!” He summoned Ferrothorn, who put up a good fight but also fell to Ninetails’ flames. “I’ve worked too hard and too long for this to fail now!” He let Klinklang out, whose gears turned menacingly as it sped up to Ninetails.

Ninetails at this point had grown too exhausted to keep fighting. Sharp gears met the floor as Gloria recalled Ninetails before she could get hurt. She sent out Lucario, who growled angrily upon seeing Rose. _He probably remembers him from Motostoke…_

Klinklang had an advantage and fired off a Zap Cannon at Lucario, who sidestepped and rushed forward with a Bone Rush. Lucario slammed the attack against the Klinklang and sent it flying. It tumbled through the air but recovered and let loose a Discharge attack. Lucario and Gloria braced themselves against the attack and looked up to see the Pokemon above them, launching another Gear Grind. Gloria realized that if the gears hit Lucario in the way they were set up, they would definitely do more than knock him out. She narrowed her eyes pushed Lucario away and took the hit with her body. The blunt edge of one of the gears slammed against her head, while the other ones sliced parts of her arms and legs. A particularly sharp one cut along her left knee, making her cry out in pain and fall to the ground.

Blood oozed out of her wounds and she lay her aching head on the cold floor, wanting to sleep. Ahead, Lucario delivered the final blow to Klinklang and started another battle with Bisharp. She could hear his pained cries as Bisharp’s blades occasionally made contact with his body and with his Bone Rush attack. She tried to focus her eyes but everything was too blurry. Her breathing slowed as her eyelids slowly closed.

“Gloria!”

Her eyes snapped open as she heard what sounded like Hop’s shout, but there was also a little Marnie and even Bede in there. _I can’t give up… they’re all counting on me!_

She pushed her body up and glared at Rose, who had been watching her quietly. She tried getting up but found her left leg was not stable enough. _Damn! I really hurt my knee!_

Corviknight came out of her ball and supported her weight. She dug her fingers in the soft part of her body and thanked her quietly. She looked to see Lucario still fighting with Bisharp and ordered an Aura Sphere attack which finally knocked the other Pokemon out.

Rose said nothing but summoned his Copperajah, which he quickly Gigantamaxed. Gloria looked up at the Pokemon, wincing from her headache. Lucario tried valiantly and managed to deal some damage with an Aura Sphere but was knocked aside easily by Copperajah’s trunk. Gloria breathed out slowly. She would need to finish this battle quickly, and she knew she only had one option at this point. She took her ultra ball out and held it tightly. _I’m counting on you!_

Hydreigon screeched as they were finally let out of her ball. One of their heads nuzzled Gloria’s head while the other two roared at Rose and Copperajah. Gloria patted their head and pointed at the giant Pokemon. “You can do this.” Hydreigon moved in a flash and appeared in front of Copperajah. The giant Pokemon’s eyes widened and roared in pain when Hydreigon unleashed a monstrous Fire Blast. Rose tried to gain control but Hydreigon was too fast and too strong. Their mouths blasted Copperajah with a Hyper Beam, then finally a destructive Focus Blast that caused the giant to collapse.

When Rose recalled Copperajah, Hydreigon turned their attention to him and launched a Hyper Beam at him. He barely managed to evade it, but the rubble from the blast threw him against the jagged half-orb behind him. He slid to the ground, breath knocked out of his lungs. Hydreigon moved in and readied to deliver a Crunch straight to his head. He put his arms up to protect himself.

“Hydreigon! No!” The beast stopped just inches of Rose’s arms. They growled menacingly and one of their heads nipped at his jacket, causing him to yelp and move away. The Pokemon returned to their trainer and Gloria thanked them warmly and recalled them. She stood straighter against Corviknight and limped towards Hop, who had recovered significantly since the battle started. He took her from Corviknight and leaned her against a piece of the orb to tend to her wounds. Cinderace and Corviknight stood at attention, glaring at Rose as he laid back on the floor.

“What’s up, Doc?” Gloria tried, giggling. He gave her a serious look and she sighed. “I’m just a little cut up, is all.”

“I think it’s more than that, Glo,” Hop said worriedly. “Your knee’s really hurt! It got knocked around on top of that nasty gash. I’m surprised you can walk at all.”

“It hurts a lot when I put pressure on it. We’ll have to worry about that later, though. We need to stop Eternatus. Help me bind it so we can get going.”

Hop knew better than to argue when she got like this. He wrapped up her wound with the bandage from his first aid kit and helped her stand. “Thanks for saving my hide.”

“Would it really be an adventure if I didn’t have to save you at least once?” she joked. She looked over at Rose as he got to his hands and knees. He raised his head and laughed.

“Right now, Leon is fighting for his life!” Rose announced, delighting in Gloria’s fearful look and Hop’s gasp. “He’s going to tame Eternatus for me, and then we will _finally_ be able to harness its power fully.”

“You’re under arrest!”

Gloria blinked and turned to see… Ballguy? Hop’s jaw dropped and even Rose looked extremely confused.

“What the bloody hell is going on here?” Gloria said, grabbing her head. “Am I going mental?”

“You’re no loon, Gloria, you’re a hero,” Ballguy took off his head to reveal a handsome, middle-aged man with a sharp haircut. “My name is Looker! I am part of the International Police, or InterPol for short. We have been keeping a close watch on mister Rose’s activities for a while now thanks to an anonymous tip!”

“Leon…” Rose muttered, eyes narrowing.

“We already have miss Oleana in custody and will be collecting mister Rose from you as well.” He nodded towards Gloria and Hop. “You two must proceed to the summit! Your Champion needs your help.” He swiftly approached Rose and knocked him out cold. “I will take care of things here. Go!”

Gloria and Hop shared a look and nodded. “Thank you…” Gloria said. Looker raised a hand in farewell then bent down to cuff Rose’s wrists. Hop and Gloria went to the end of the hallway and entered the lift. They rode it up to the summit in silence, both deep in their thoughts. When they emerged, they noticed that the pink sky had vanished to reveal the night, stars twinkling innocently. They heard a roar and a shout and ascended the stairs as fast as Gloria’s knee could allow.

There was Leon and Charizard exhausted but unharmed. In front of them was a beast that towered over all of them. Its head was shaped like a fan with a pink interior and blue exterior. Its neck was elongated from its head and met up with its ribcage. Legs protruded from its sides, all blue, and a pink orb glowed inside.

When Gloria looked at it, it raised its head and looked straight at her and screeched. Her vision went black.


	32. The Sword and the Shield

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the conclusion to the main storyline! The next four chapters will be mainly focused on the fallout + the post-game material, setting up for the sequel that I have in mind. Enjoy!

“By Arceus! It has awoken!”

 _What… what is going on?_ Gloria frowned as she opened her eyes. She squinted against the sun and stood up, then blinked. She looked down to her knee in confusion then widened her eyes. She brought her hands up and found she was translucent, her figure a pale blue. She looked up and saw two familiar men each behind the two Pokemon she and Hop had seen in the Slumbering Weald, though they appeared in a different form.

The one that looked like a shield, Zamazenta, suddenly turned to her and bowed its head. The one beside it, Zacian, tilted its head questioningly.

_What is it, brother?_

Gloria gasped as the voice filled her head. _I can understand Pokemon?!_

Zamazenta huffed then turned forward. _Nothing, sister. Let us return to the battle._

Gloria faced the same way as Zamazenta and shuddered. Ahead of her, Eternatus swelled in size and pulsated with its pink aura. It, too, turned to look at her, though she could tell that when it spoke the others couldn’t hear.

_Pay close attention, child. What you are about to see, is the eternal cycle of history…_

Gloria watched as one of the two humans – the heroes of old, she realized – pointed at Eternatus. “We must vanquish the beast, Zacian, Zamazenta! Lo, there is no path but forward!”

Eternatus shrieked as it addressed the wolves directly. _How could you turn on me? Do you not realize that the humans have been stripping my flesh for power? I am only seeking vengeance for their crimes!_

 _Silence!_ Zamazenta barked. _You have caused too much destruction in these lands._

 _Zamazenta speaks true._ Zacian said. _We have come to this land to restore balance and peace._

 _There will be no balance. There will be no peace! Not until I have taught these humans a very important lesson!_ Eternatus straightened and unleashed a Dynamax Beam. The core in its ribs whirred to power and the beam cut through the air, heading straight for the humans. Zamazenta’s eyes glowed and his mane increased in size and solidified into a steel shield. He deflected the beam into the sky and glared at Eternatus.

Zacian took the initiative to jump over Zamazenta’s back and her sword grew in size and glowed blue. She swiped her blade at Eternatus, who cried out in pain as the holy light of the sword struck its core. Eternatus only grew angrier with their continued battle and unleashed Dynamax Beam after Dynamax Beam, hoping to wear them down.

Gloria watched in horror as the wolves took attack after attack and delivered their own blows. Behind them, the humans cowered behind a boulder and watched. Gloria furiously turned to them but her protests died in her mouth when she remembered they couldn’t hear her.

When she turned back to Eternatus, the wolves had cornered the Pokemon. Their bodies glowed as a golden orb slowly formed around Eternatus. The giant beast shuddered and desperately tried to escape, but the orb continued to grow and sap its energy. Gloria watched in amazement as the orb lifted Eternatus into the air and encased the terrifying beast.

 _You will be sealed here for your sins._ Zacian said. _By Arceus, it is so…_

 _This is not the Will of Arceus!_ Eternatus argued fearfully.

 _Quiet!_ Zamazenta boomed, growling. _He has decreed this after your rampage. You will be allowed to return when the time is right. Until then, stay, and perish. Count yourself fortunate you have not been banished to the Distorted World!_

The orb finally crystallized around Eternatus and settled on the ground. Its light was a mix of gold and red. Eternatus slammed against the inside, but soon stopped when it realized it wouldn’t break.

 _We will meet again!_ Eternatus promised. _And when we do, I will end both of you!_

The wolves said nothing as the humans rejoined them.

“Excellent! We will take care of the rest and ensure Eternatus is hidden from all of mankind. Thank you!”

Zacian and Zamazenta lowered their heads and turned to leave. Zamazenta looked over his shoulder and met Gloria’s eyes again before turning forward. They leapt away and out of sight.

Suddenly, the scenery shifted and Gloria found herself in a mine. One of the Galarian mines, she recognized. She looked around and started walking. She stopped when she heard a voice.

“Father! Come here! I think I found something.” Gloria’s eyes widened when she saw a much younger Rose and an older but different version of him standing in front of a glowing patch of golden ground. It was Eternatus, buried under centuries’ worth of earth and rock.

“Good eye, son! Let’s dig it up and see what it is.”

“Father… with this, we can change the world.”

The environment distorted again and Gloria held her head as though it would clear the dizziness. She opened her eyes and found herself in the Energy Plant, on the platform where she faced Rose. This time, the orb was intact and the Rose she knew stood in front of it, his back to her.

“You are Arceus’ gift to me,” Rose declared. “I have had great success with the bits and pieces I’ve collected from you. It is rather unfortunate that your temper tantrums cause explosions so strong that parts of your body shoot up in the atmosphere and fall back as Wishing Stars. But worry not, we will collect them for you, and make you stronger.” Rose laughed. “And then, you will be mankind’s slave forever!” He turned and left the room.

Gloria found herself alone with Eternatus and jumped when it addressed her.

 _They have been asleep in the Slumbering Weald since our battle._ Gloria figured it was referring to the wolves. _And they will likely join us soon…_

“Why are you showing me this?” Gloria asked. She approached the orb and stepped inside, looking up at the Pokemon. She thought she would feel afraid, but instead she felt an aching sadness.

_I sensed you were… different. You have been marked by Zamazenta, I can tell. And you have shown kindness to Pokemon throughout your entire journey. I can see in your heart your love for all creatures. When you rescued and hatched the egg, when you released the Pokemon captured by that damnable human, when you befriended a Pokemon so ferocious most would kill it on sight… even risking your own life to save your partner! You are not like other humans, human. Even now, I sense your reluctance to harm me, despite all that I have done._

“Can you stop attacking us, then? I promise you won’t be hurt again. We stopped Rose. He won’t be allowed in our society for a long time, probably never.”

 _In his absence a vacuum is eagerly filled by another._ Eternatus retorted. _Humans will always be greedy and will always take advantage of the weak and vulnerable._

Gloria looked down in thought. She looked up again and smiled. “Why don’t you just travel with me, then? If I take down Leon, then I become the strongest trainer in the region, technically. No one will mess with us, or you, ever again.”

_And when you pass from the physical realm? What then?_

“We’ll worry about that when we get there. Let’s just worry about right now. But I promise I will think about it.”

 _Hmm…_ Eternatus pondered. _I will not make it easy. I am very angry and very afraid. You must be ready to accept the risk of life should you challenge me, be it mine, yours or your loved ones._

“I hate to quote Rose right now, but we wouldn’t get anywhere in life if we always chose the safer option. I’m ready to fight, Eternatus, and I _will_ capture you.”

_Very well. Good luck._

The ground dropped from Gloria’s feet and she fell into the void below.

-x-

“Gloria? Hey, Gloria?”

Gloria blinked as Hop’s fingers snapped in front of her. She scowled and shoved them away. “The hell is that for?”

“You spaced out for like a solid minute there, mate. I thought you…” Hop gulped.

“Sorry,” Gloria apologized, softening her tone. She looked ahead. Leon was still in front with Charizard and fighting Eternatus. He turned his head toward them and grinned.

“Nice to see you guys! I’m almost finished here. It would have been a lot quicker except Eternatus is able to block my Pokemon from Dynamaxing.” He turned back to the beast and launched a pokeball at it.

Gloria watched with a sense of dread building in her stomach. She knew it wouldn’t work, but she couldn’t look away. The pokeball shook once, twice, then… Leon pointed at them and Charizard flew over to protect them with his body. Leon brought his arms up to shield himself when the pokeball erupted in a bright white light.

Hop looked down after the light faded and saw half of a pokeball roll towards him. He quickly snapped his eyes up and was relieved when Leon was still up and breathing, albeit on one knee. His heart dropped when Eternatus rose to its full height and let loose another blood-curdling screech. He turned to Gloria, seeing her resolved expression, and wondered what she was thinking.

“Hop, stay with Charizard and Leon. I got this,” she said through clenched teeth. She limped forward towards Eternatus, pokeball clutched in her hand. Inteleon came out with a flare. He looked worriedly back at his trainer but she assuaged his worries with a thumbs up.

“What are you doing, Gloria? You’re hurt!” Hop said when he reached his brother and put his arm around his shoulder.

“I’m gonna end this. Stay close, okay? I might need your help.” Gloria turned to face Eternatus again and shifted her weight to put less pressure on her left knee. She didn’t know its typing so she would have to guess until she figured it out. “Inteleon, Snipe Shot!”

Her starter blasted the beast with his signature move, but it appeared to do little damage. _Hmm… it doesn’t look like a Water or Grass type. Dragon, maybe?_ Eternatus’ core whirred, and her eyes widened. “Dodge!” Inteleon flew into the air as the Dynamax beam shot over the tower and into the distance. “Come back, Inteleon!”

Gloria debated on sending out Hydreigon, since if Eternatus was a Dragon type, then it would put her at a disadvantage. “Roserade, go!” _Let’s wear this big guy down…_ “Toxic!”

Eternatus seemed unaffected and screeched again. It launched a Dragon Pulse, which hit Roserade head on and knocked her out. _Shit! So maybe it’s a Dragon-Poison hybrid? Damn!_

“Corviknight! Use Air Slash!” She was relieved to see that the move did some damage on the beast. It tried a Flamethrower which singed Corviknight.

“Brave Bird!”

Corviknight shot down like a missile and hit Eternatus head on, doing great damage. The beast shrieked again as it fell over from the impact, then shot up straight into the sky on a pink beam of light. It flew up into the atmosphere and imploded, sucking air in rapidly. Then the energy burst around and formed a massive swirling pink lightning cloud over the tower, ionizing the air. The sky was encased in thick black clouds and obscured their view of the outside. Rubble from the fights floated around her and whirled around the edges of the tower summit. High winds whipped her short hair around and ruffled Corviknight’s feathers as she landed close to her. Hop rejoined her in the centre, Leon leaned up safely against a wall with Charizard protecting him.

Hop and Gloria looked up to see Eternatus’ changed form slowly descending to meet them in battle. Its head had opened up into a hand-like shape, where the blue spikes looked like fingers and the flesh glowed pink. The blue skeleton stretched out and encased a longer body curled on itself, floating close to the cloud. Gloria could feel the desperation of the creature as it fought to take out what it perceived as a threat to its freedom. She had to help it, but first, she had to take it down to calm it.

“You ready, mate?” she shouted over the din of the storm.

“Is that even a question, mate? ‘Course I am!” he answered back jovially and just as loud. He sent out Dubwool who bleated in greeting. Eternatus stood still and watched them quietly.

“Air Slash, Corviknight!”

“Double-Edge!”

Corviknight squawked and flapped her wings. Dubwool shook his head and bleated again.

“What? I can’t use any moves!” Hop yelled, panic crawling into his voice. Gloria clenched her teeth and tried again, but Corviknight couldn’t move.

“Wait!” Hop exclaimed, eyes alight. “The sword and shield from the Slumbering Weald—let’s use ’em!”

“If I weren’t dating Marnie right now I’d kiss ya, Hop!” Gloria said, grinning.

“Gross!” Hop retorted. He pulled the sword out and held it in the air. Gloria mimicked him and looked on hopefully.

Her heart hammered in her chest as she heard howling in the distance. Two bright lights, one cyan and one magenta, shone through the clouds and sped right at them. When the lights landed near them, the glow dissipated to reveal the two Pokemon they had seen in the woods. They howled into the night, Zamazenta in front of Gloria and Zacian in front of Hop.

The shield glowed red and the sword glowed blue as they lifted into the air and combined into one shining light that split onto the wolves. Gloria and Hop watched with awe as their forms changed in response to the items. Gloria could feel goosebumps along her arms rise as Zamazenta grew larger in size and obtained a thicker mane, just like from her vision. When she glanced to the side, she saw the same awestruck expression on Hop’s face as Zacian grew wings and carried a sword in her mouth. Zamazenta glanced back at Gloria and huffed in greeting before facing forward.

“Bloody hell…” Hop mumbled. His eyes shone with determination as he glanced at Gloria. “Let’s do this, mate!” Gloria nodded once and yelled out an attack to Corviknight. This time Corviknight obeyed just as Dubwool did and they attacked Eternatus. Zacian let out a mighty roar as she jumped into the air and used Behemoth Blade, slicing across Eternatus’ hand. Zamazenta joined her quickly with a Behemoth Bash and knocked Eternatus’ Dynamax Beam away.

Gloria’s attention was drawn to the storm briefly as she noted the round landscapes, some familiar but most not, appearing in the sky around her. They looked to be translucent, but upon closer inspection, some rubble from the tower disappeared as they passed inside. _Portals?_ she wondered, having heard of Pokemon from other regions capable of opening passages to other worlds.

“Gloria look out!”

Her thoughts were briefly cut off when she noticed Eternatus winding up a Max Wyrmwind in her direction. She couldn’t run, so she stood helplessly as the beam came towards her, washing her in a pink glow. The light was suddenly cut off as Zamazenta stood in front of her and enlarged his mane, taking the blow. He looked back at her again and she understood what he wanted.

“Hop! Cover me!” she yelled. She slowly got onto the wolf and he readied himself. “Corviknight! Brave Bird!”

Her Pokemon crowed and launched herself at Eternatus, followed by Zacian’s Behemoth Blade and Dubwool’s Double-Edge. Gloria stretched over Zamazenta as high as she could, dusk ball clutched tightly in her hand. It soon swelled in size and she held it with both hands and clenched her thighs around the wolf’s body to keep her balance.

“Gloria! CATCH IT NOW!”

Zamazenta leapt high into the air and she felt her stomach drop at their height. She looked straight at Eternatus, a silent understanding between them, and launched the dusk ball dead on in the centre of its head. The ball opened and a bright white light shone as it attempted to pack all of Eternatus within itself. The light vanished when the ball shut and it fell to the ground heavily, indenting the floor.

Zamazenta landed and she watched on with trepidation as the ball shook. Hop held his breath as he, Zacian and Dubwool rushed over. It shook once, twice, thrice then stopped, the lock clicking in place. Hop cheered as the ball returned to its normal size.

“We did it, Gloria!”

“We sure did, mate!”

The pink cloud above dissipated and blew up into a shower of twinkling microdust. The black storm clouds around them slowly waned and thinned. Zamazenta approached her with the rusted shield in his jaw, back in his normal form. He dropped it into her arms and joined Zacian as she did the same with Hop and the rusted sword. They howled and leapt into the air, disappearing into the sky as blue and red streaks and clearing the rest of the storm.

The air was quiet as calm returned to the tower. Gloria looked at the ball in her hand and felt as though it were pulsating in her palm. She put it away when Hop ran up to her and gave her a big hug. Her knee buckled a little from pain and she tapped his shoulder.

“Too much too soon, mate,” she laughed, patting her knee.

“Sorry!” he apologized. “I’m just over the moon right now! I can’t believe we just saved the world with Zacian and Zamazenta!”

“You two were amazing,” Leon panted, joining them with a smiling face and leaning on Charizard. “I was so impressed… and a little jealous! I wish I could have joined you in that battle.”

“Leon, you saved us,” Gloria reminded him kindly. “You weakened Eternatus enough for it to change forms and make it more vulnerable to capture. You had just as big a role in this fight.”

“Thank you, Gloria…” he trailed off, frowning. “I’m surprised Rose isn’t here to congratulate us!”

“Gloria took that wanker down,” Hop supplied, crossing his arms. “And the InterPol showed up to take him away. How lucky is that?!”

“InterPol, huh…” Leon fought down a knowing smile. “Never heard of ‘em!”

Gloria tilted her head but before she could question him he turned to her. “I’m so sorry for how hectic things got. I should have acted sooner, but—”

“But Rose threatened to hurt us?” Gloria guessed. Leon blinked in surprise. “You’re not the only one he’s been blackmailing. He pulled that on Professor Magnolia, too.”

“Sonia!” Leon said, shocked. “Oh Arceus… we’re so lucky nothing ever happened.”

“Definitely,” Gloria agreed. She sighed and looked around. “What now?”

“Now?” Leon grinned. “Now, we have a champion time!”

-x-

Gloria limped out of the lift and into the Hammerlocke stadium lobby with Hop’s help. Behind her, Charizard supported Leon as he followed them out. She looked up when she heard clapping and saw all the Gym Leaders, Sonia, Professor Magnolia and Raihan’s gym trainers cheering and clapping for her, Hop and Leon. The trio stood in shock, not having expected people to approach them so soon. Gloria was at a loss of what to say when her vision was flooded with red rimmed turquoise eyes.

Marnie caught her jaw between her hands and enveloped her in a passionate kiss. The world melted around them as she sank deeper into Marnie. She shuddered when the girl lightly scraped her nails against her scalp as she pulled her closer. Her arms immediately went around Marnie’s neck and she leaned fully against her, startling them out of the kiss. Marnie blinked and looked down, seeing the bandage around Gloria’s knee.

“You’re hurt…” she said simply. The brunette grinned sheepishly and shrugged. She looked around and her face reddened.

“Marnie… everyone’s watching us,” Gloria whispered.

“I don’ care what other people think,” Marnie whispered back fiercely. “Let ‘em watch… I only care what _you_ think.”

Gloria yelped when her vision suddenly flipped. Grimmsnarl carried her in his arms and followed his trainer steadfastly away from the crowd. She heard a distinct whoop and wondered who that was. “W-what are you doing?!” Gloria stammered, waving her arms around. Marnie stopped and turned around.

“Takin’ you home.”

“And where is that, exactly?”

“Spikemuth.” She looked away briefly. “Is that… okay?”

Gloria smiled and giggle lightly. “More than okay.”

-x-

Bede pushed to the front of the crowd when Marnie ran ahead. _So impatient!_ He saw Marnie leap at Gloria and kiss her and he rolled his eyes. _Such a cliché…_ He noticed Hop stumble back in shock and smiled upon seeing him. Then, he glanced over at Leon and felt his courage dim slightly. _Are we ready to bring Leon into this?_

He sighed and crossed his arms, debating on what to do when Hop yelled his name. Bede looked up to see Hop barrelling towards him and envelop him in a hug. His eyes softened and he leaned into Hop’s embrace as he wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Hop.”

“Me too,” Hop leaned back, grinning. “Man, you shoulda seen us up there! We had the most amazing battle! I’ll tell you all about it later.”

Bede simply nodded and cupped Hop’s cheek, generating a shy blush. “I can’t wait.” He leaned forward and met Hop’s lips in a soft kiss, pulling away suddenly when someone cleared their throat. Leon stood with Charizard behind him growling slightly. Even injured he looked ready to throwdown.

“Hop, what’s going on here?” Leon asked, frowning.

“U-uh…” Hop gulped. “This is B-Bede, my boyfriend. Bede, this is Leon, my big brother and my favourite person in the whole wide world!” Charizard huffed. “A-and that’s Charizard, my favourite Pokemon in the whole wide world!”

Leon laughed and ruffled Hop’s hair. “Relax bro! I was just messing with you. And I’m pretty sure we all know each other here.”

They turned when Gloria yelped and Marnie carried her away. Hop cheered and Bede shook his head in disapproval. Leon sighed and put his hands on his hips. “Ah, young love… well, I’ll leave you two alone for now, but I do expect a formal introduction, Bede. Gotta say, I don’t have the best impression of you right now, but I’m sure Hop can vouch for ya.”

“Definitely,” Hop said, holding Bede’s hand.

Bede nodded. “I’ve changed a lot these last few weeks, mainly thanks to Hop. Thank you. I’m sorry for any harm I’ve caused you.”

Leon grinned and wrapped an arm around Charizard’s neck. “No worries! Long as you promise to never hurt Hop, then we won’t have a problem, right Charizard?” Charizard blew smoke through his nose in agreement. “Alright! I have to get going, we need to do some rescheduling and fixing before we can have our championship match. Which means, I’ve got a ton of work to do!”

“You don’t have to do this alone, ya know,” Raihan said, walking up to them. He put his arms behind his head and grinned. “We got your back, Leon.”

Leon climbed atop Charizard and did his famous pose. “Let’s get to work!”

-x-

Gloria tipped her head back and sighed, sinking further into the tub up to her nose. The sweet smell of the soap and hot water were doing wonders for her aching muscles. There were few things that felt better than this. She sighed in pleasure. Marnie giggled lightly when she entered the bathroom with a stack of towels upon seeing her.

“Feelin’ better?” she asked, smiling.

“More than better!” Gloria said as she rose from the water slightly. “Arceus, I haven’t had a bath in ages. Traveling around means you stick to quick showers and move on. This is exactly what I needed, Marnie. Thank you.” She hoped her face conveyed all the emotion she felt for Marnie.

Marnie set the towels down and kneeled near the side of the tub. “It’s no problem, Gloria. We’ll hafta visit th’ clinic tomorrow to get your knee looked at, but I’m jus’ happy to see you.” She hesitated slightly but decided to press on. “When I saw that cloud over the Energy Plant, I was ‘fraid you were done for.”

“Marnie…” Gloria leaned her torso out of the tub and grabbed her hands. She smiled reassuringly at the other girl. “I’m here. And I’m safe and oh so very happy. There’s no need to worry, yea? I’m a tough bitch!”

Marnie laughed and shook her head. “An’ ‘ere I was, all worried an’ shit. You’re nothin’ but a pain.”

Gloria opened her mouth to protest but was cut off by Marnie’s lips over hers. She sighed when their tongues met and relaxed into the kiss. She brought her now dry hands to Marnie’s face to pull her closer, mouths moving over each other. When she shifted her legs to get closer, a sharp pain shot up her leg and caused her to wince. Marnie pulled back worriedly and brushed Gloria’s wet locks behind her ears.

“Let’s get you outta here and into some warm clothes, yea?”

Gloria settled into the fluffy pillows with a contented sigh. She had received the news that the championship match between her and Leon would be postponed for a month until the stadiums were repaired, giving her some time to rest and recover. _And maybe learn a bit more about Eternatus…_ she thought, frowning.

“What’s got ya so upset?” Marnie whispered, climbing into bed with her. Gloria smiled and shook her head. “You’re not hidin’ anythin’ from me, righ’?” she threatened, glaring.

“I swear,” Gloria promised. She paused a bit, then frowned. “Well, there was something weird that happened. Oleana helped me and Hop go into the plant to stop Rose. She had a burn mark on her forearm that didn’t look like an accident…”

Marnie sighed and settled beside her girlfriend. “’Member when we wen’ after Leon, in Rose Tower?” Gloria nodded. “Well, when I fough’ ‘er, was the weirdest’ thing. She hardly fought back, an’ all she tried to do was get up tha’ tower to stop ya. She looked mental, cryin’ ‘bout punishment an’ I didn’ know what to do.”

“That’s really sad… at least now, she’ll be free from him.” The brunette sighed and sank into the pillows. “Let’s go to sleep. If we talked about everything now, we’d be up all night!”

“Oh…” Marnie said lightly. “We’ll be up all night, regardless.” She trailed her hand down Gloria’s side and slipped her hand under her shirt and over her back. Gloria arched slightly from the icy coldness of her hands, then shivered.

“M-Marnie.” Gloria’s protests rang weakly and she moaned when Marnie kissed down the V of her shirt, one knee between her thighs. “I-I won’t be able to do much with my knee.” Marnie paused in the middle of taking off Gloria’s night shorts and smirked.

“With what I’m plannin’, ya won’ have ta move at all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [I wrote another (explicit) somethin' 👀👀](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24381685).


	33. Gloria

_One month later…_

Gloria swung her legs from her perch on the kitchen counter in Marnie’s and Piers’ flat. Marnie had refused to let her leave, keeping a close watch over her and helping her recover. She showered her with attention constantly and almost never left her side. Their Pokemon mingled as well, and she continued to keep up their training in the Spikemuth courtyard so that she’d be ready for Leon. Stella visited occasionally as well and brought heaps of homemade food, most of them Gloria’s favourites. Hop and Bede also came by to update her on the outside world and keep her company. And sometimes Sonia and Nessa would visit with food and board games, sometimes it would be Sonia alone and asking Gloria questions about what happened and what she knew. All in all, Gloria felt properly pampered and spoiled.

The media had been abuzz with the news as well. Every channel was hyper focused on what had happened in Hammerlocke. Luckily, they hadn’t disturbed her, as they didn’t know she was living with Marnie, but her poor mum had to endure paparazzi at her door and windows for weeks. Gloria had also changed her phone number when they started dialling in, only giving it out to a trusted few. She didn’t know how her number leaked in the first place, but knew it wasn’t her close friends and family.

One particularly interesting news story was Rose’s trial and sentence. A mysteriously large amount of evidence had been collected and dropped unceremoniously on the front door of Galar’s attorney general. Binders, USBs, albums full of photos, all pointing to Rose’s illegal Pokemon research labs scattered across the region and plans for the Darkest Day. Gloria had a suspicion as to who had been behind the leak but knew better than to speak his name to anyone. Pokemon activists have been busy rehabilitating the distraught Pokemon and burying the ones that didn’t make it. Rose had been absolutely _slammed_ by the book: life in prison for a multitude of convicted charges. He would be serving this sentence at an undisclosed location in Galar.

Oleana had gotten off a lot lighter when it was revealed that she had been abused and manipulated by Rose: community service in the Galarian mines. Still, she was hounded by the press and Gloria couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. She knew it was only a matter of time until they aimed their cameras at her, and she felt anxiety bubbling in her over it.

She still had not heard anything from Eternatus, who had been quietly sleeping in its ball. When she tried to take it out in the Wild Area, it would refuse to speak, only to ask to be put back in its ball to rest. She supposed maybe it was tired and wanted to fully recover before speaking with her, which she understood. It had been an awesome and exhausting battle, after all.

Sonia had also been busy collecting evidence and publishing papers on their discoveries. She recorded everything they said in her journal and had collected all sorts of data during their battle from Wedgehurst. Last they spoke, she said she’d been working on a book containing all of the known information on the history of Dynamaxing and the true Heroes of Old.

The sound of plates clinking caught her attention and she blinked as Marnie pulled out three ceramics. “Piers joining us today?” The man had rarely been in his own house, instead out on the street helping with reconstruction efforts. When Eternatus had been released, Pokemon Dynamaxed all over Galar, even in areas with no Power Spots. Spikemuth was no exception. Gloria wished she could be out there helping, but Marnie was adamant she stay and recover.

“Yea, he’s finishin’ up some paperwork with Leon an’ the others but will be here for dinner with us,” Marnie answered, smiling at Gloria. She stepped up between her legs and rested her hands on her knees. Gloria rested her arms on her shoulders, loosely interlaced. “Knee all better now?” she asked, pecking her nose.

Gloria closed her eyes and smiled. “Mmhmm. It wasn’t as bad as I thought, thankfully. I can walk and jog for a bit before it starts to ache. Doc says I need to be careful and not bump into anything. Bea even offered to help me retrain a bit, says it could speed up the recovery.”

“Good,” Marnie mumbled, brushing back some of Gloria’s hair. She frowned lightly as she tweaked the tips between her fingers. “Reckon ya might needa haircut…”

“Oh?” Gloria blinked her eyes open and leaned back, smoothing a hand down her hair. “Yea, I reckon I do. Do I have permission to get a haircut, master?” she joked. Marnie rolled her eyes and stepped away, slapping her thigh lightly.

“Jus’ for that, I’m givin’ your portion to ‘Peko.”

“Wait, no!” Gloria said hurriedly, getting down from the counter. “I was just joking—”

“What’s all this racket?” Piers grumbled as the door shut behind him. “Can’t a bloke get some quiet ‘round here?”

“This is Spikemuth big bro,” Marnie replied, “good luck with tha’”

“Don’ need your sass, Marn.” His stomach rumbled. “’M famished. Can’ wait to pass this shite job to you, li’l sis.” He pulled a chair out and sat down. Morpeko scurried into his lap and he scratched behind her ears. “Fancy a bite, yea?”

Gloria sat opposite him and Marnie sat next to her when she served their food. She had put a little aside for Morpeko on the ground who hurriedly rushed to her bowl. Gloria thanked Marnie for the food and turned to Piers.

“When is Marnie taking over anyway?”

“Soon as this’s all done,” Piers supplied after swallowing a bite. “I know wha’ Spikemuth needs righ’ now so it was for the bes’ tha’ I take over the rebuildin’. But soon as ‘m done,” he pointed his fork at Marnie, “she’s takin’ over.”

“Can’t wait,” Marnie deadpanned. Gloria turned to her with a smile.

“You’ll be an amazing Gym Leader, Marnie. I know you will. Probably better than Piers, Raihan and Bede!”

Piers shrugged. “Pro’bly.” He finished the rest of his food in silence and stood up, plate in his hand. “Well, ‘m off.”

“Already?” Gloria complained. “But you just got here!”

“The sooner ‘m done, the sooner I can get back t’my music.” He placed his plate in the sink and walked out of the kitchen. Gloria blinked in surprise when Marnie didn’t comment.

“See ya bro.”

“See ya sis an’ Gloria.” A squeak. “An’ ‘Peko.” The door shut and they were left alone again.

“He’s working so hard, he should take a break,” Gloria said, frowning worriedly.

“Piers’ not th’ type to do things half-ass. It’s all or nothin’ for ‘im. But it’s sweet of ya to worry.”

“I care about him. He’s like a big brother to me, too, funnily enough.”

Marnie smiled at that and stood up, collecting their plates. She put them in the sink and turned the faucet on. “An’ ‘m sure he thinks fondly of ya, too.”

“Let me help you,” Gloria said, standing up.

“Jus’ make sure ‘Peko’s not makin’ a mess.”

Gloria tended to Morpeko’s bowl and cleaned up around it. The Pokemon had run off to the living room, likely to nap. When Gloria stood, she gripped her head as a sudden wave of vertigo overwhelmed her. She heard Marnie shut the faucet off and steady her, moving her to sit on the couch in the living room. Gloria’s breaths staggered as her mind filled with visions of Rose, of Klinklang, of Eternatus swallowing her whole. She could feel the anxiety bubble in her as she thought of _what if_ and _why me_.

“—ria! Gloria!” Gloria focused on Marnie’s worried eyes, her heart breaking at the distraught expression on her face. Marnie’s hands cupped her jaw as she returned to reality. She wiped her tears off her cheeks with her thumbs.

“Sorry,” Gloria whispered, closing her eyes. “I-I don’t know what came over me. I guess I’m still not over what happened back then.”

“You should see someone ‘bout this,” Marnie said, holding Gloria close. The brunette nuzzled in and found comfort in her heartbeat. “You shoul’ talk to someone, ya know?” She nodded and sank further into her embrace.

“I will, promise. Just hold me for now, okay?”

“Always.”

-x-

Gloria stood across from Leon in the middle of the pitch, heart beating madly. Finally, she was here. Finally, she would be able to prove to herself that she was strong, strong enough to beat Leon. She could show the world just how amazing her Pokemon, her _friends_ were. She wanted to make Marnie and her Mum proud, but mostly she wanted her Pokemon to stand tall as they took down Leon’s team before the entire region.

Leon’s cape billowed in the wind behind him. Charizard was in his ball, waiting to come out. The crowd was quiet in anticipation as they waited for the first move. Leon gazed at her proudly, a smile on his face.

“Gloria, look at this crowd,” he started, gesturing around with his arms. “I reckon everyone in the region is here! And the ones that couldn’t make it, well they’re probably glued to the telly at home. Everyone knows that it was you and Hop who saved them. You tamed Eternatus and caught him. Absolutely legendary.” He grinned and lowered his arms. “I couldn’t think of a more fitting challenger to increase my winning streak!”

She laughed and put a hand to her hip. “And who says you’ll win, Champ? I’ve got a lot riding on this match!”

“We’re gonna have a champion time!” Leon flew into his pose and the crowd went absolutely mad. Gloria shook her head and sighed, smiling. They went to their positions on the pitch. Gloria rolled her shoulders and stretched her arms. She rubbed her wrists, feeling the ghost of her Dynamax Band and looked to see Leon still wore his. Her knee twitched slightly in the brace and she hoped it wouldn’t act up during the battle. Leon clapped his cheeks then gripped his cape and dramatically pulled it behind him. It flew off in the wind and before it hit the ground Leon flew into position and launched an ultra ball, summoning Aegislash in Shield Forme.

Gloria sent Ninetails out, her tails waving lightly behind her. The two trainers stared at each other silently, trying to predict the other’s move. Gloria’s hand went out a microsecond before Leon’s as she called her attack.

“Inferno!”

“King’s Shield!”

The strong flames were deflected off Aegislash’s impenetrable shield. Gloria dug her feet in the ground and planned her approach carefully. Leon simply grinned and called out his next attack.

“Stance Change! Sacred Sword!”

“Ninetails, Will-O-Wisp!” Ninetails hit Aeglislash with a Will-O-Wisp before it attacked, weakening the blow and giving her a chance to recover. “Inferno!”

Leon’s eyes widened. “Stance Change!” It was too late, as the time it took Aegislash to return to its other form was too long and Ninetails delivered a supereffective blow. The sword and shield Pokemon flew back and landed on the ground, motionless. Ninetails limped back in front of Gloria but stood up proudly. Leon called Aegislash back and sent out Haxorus, whose speed and raw power proved too much for Ninetails to handle in her injured state. Leon called out a Stone Edge and took Ninetails out quickly.

Gloria cradled Ninetails’ ball in her hands and thanked her before sending out Hydreigon. Both Unovan Dragons glared at each other, then Hydreigon’s heads screeched collectively in anger as they rushed Haxorus.

“Dragon Rush!” they both called out simultaneously. The Dragons swiped at each other with their tails and the impact blew them away. Hydreigon struggled to get back up and Haxorus looked to be in better shape. Gloria decided it would be too dangerous to risk another physical attack like that, as Haxorus’ attack was vastly superior to Hydreigon’s. _But he’s one point slower and has a weaker special defense!_

“Hydreigon, Dragon Pulse!”

“You too, Haxorus!”

Both Pokemon launched a powerful beam of Dragon energy at each other. The beams met in the middle and caused an explosion. The air rushed out rapidly as a result and Gloria had to shield her face from the rubble. When she looked up again she saw both Pokemon had been knocked out from the blast. She recalled Hydreigon, thanked them and sent out Roserade to meet Leon’s Rillaboom.

Gloria blinked, then squinted her eyes. “Hey… is that who I think it is?”

“Sure is!” Leon grinned. “The little Grookey from Postwick, ready to become a Champion!”

Gloria laughed. “Not a chance! Roserade, Cross-Poison!”

“Rillaboom, Drum Beating!”

Though the attack was not very effective, it was enough to push Roserade back and prevent her from landing a significant blow on the Pokemon in front of her. She leapt in the air gracefully and landed on her feet lightly. Gloria was quick to call out the next attack.

“Okay, then, use Toxic!”

“Rillaboom, Screech!”

Rillaboom flinched slightly from the poison but unleashed a roar so power it sent a visible shudder down Roserade’s body, weakening her resolve and defenses slightly.

“Don’t be intimated, Roserade! Use Venoshock!”

“Boomburst!” The vibrating air blocked some of the attack but also sent Roserade straight back against the stadium wall, crushing it. She didn’t get back up and Gloria called her back and thanked her, then sent out Corviknight, her feathers glinting in the sun. “Brave Bird!”

“Hold on, Rillaboom!” She slammed right into Rillaboom then soared back up. When she came down, he had collapsed, twitching from the poison. Leon sighed and recalled his Pokemon and sent out Rhyperior. The beast roared viciously but Gloria looked at him calmly and smiled. “Iron Head, double time!”

“Rock Wrecker!” Rhyperior grunted as he dug his paws into the ground. His muscles flexed as he lifted a massive boulder of earth, Corviknight still barrelling towards him bravely with an Iron Head. She delivered the blow to his stomach, causing him to slide slightly backward and grunt in pain. However, she was left completely vulnerable to his attack and cried out as the boulder slammed against her.

“Corviknight!” Gloria’s eyes widened as she made to run out onto the field. Corviknight weakly stood up and flew towards her before falling to the ground in defeat. Gloria knelt by her and ignored the twinge in her knee as she smoothed her palm over her steel feathers. “You did amazing, thank you.” She recalled her to the ball and sent out Lucario, who looked his opponent in the eye.

Rhyperior let out another roar and stomped the ground. “Earthquake!” Leon called out quickly.

“I don’t think so! Lucario, Aura Sphere!” The attacked flew straight between Rhyperior’s eyes and knocked him over before he could launch the devastating attack. The ground shook as he fell onto his back and Leon recalled him with a smile. He sent out Dragapult, who hovered eerily over the hole Rhyperior made in the ground.

Leon swept his arm out. “Dragon Darts!” the Dreepy on its head flew towards Lucario at top speed, who deflected them with his Bone Rush attack. Lucario sped towards the Dragapult and tried to attack it, but his Bone Rush met air then the ground as Dragapult slithered out of his reach.

“Flamethrower!” Lucario leapt back but took a ton of damage from the point-blank Flamethrower attack. He winced slightly from his burn and glanced over his shoulder at Gloria, sensing her worry. When he nodded resolutely she sighed and quickly got back into action.

“Okay, let’s try this: Dragon Pulse!” Lucario put his paws together and unleashed a Dragon energy beam at the Dragapult, who wasn’t able to dodge and took the hit. Dragapult winced slightly and the Dreepy on its head cried out in worry. Gloria felt a twinge of sympathy but pressed on. “One more time!”

“I don’t think so! Sucker Punch!” Dragapult vanished into thin air, evading the pulse entirely. Lucario gasped in shock and looked around, then bent over as a blow knocked him in his stomach. Lucario grasped the arm quickly and Gloria grinned, glad her plan had worked.

“Bone Rush!” The attack materialized in his other hand and he swiped at Dragapult’s head, sending it flying. It tumbled near Leon’s feet and tried to get up but fell back under its own weight. Lucario stumbled forward and collapsed as well, exhausted. Gloria and Leon called back their Pokemon and looked up at each other, both nervous.

“We’re not done having a champion time!” Leon announced. “And I’m not letting you end it for me!”

“Let’s find out, shall we?!” Gloria taunted back.

She sent out Inteleon and he sent out Charizard and Gigantamaxed him right away. “I’ll show you what Charizard can do!”

Gloria covered her face with her arms as the heat and light overwhelmed her. When Charizard finished his transformation, she looked up at him in determination. Then, she looked at Leon and pointed at him.

“I’m gonna show you that we can win without Dynamaxing!” she declared, clenching her fists. “Me and Inteleon will take you down with our own strength!”

“I invite you to give it a shot!” Leon yelled back. “But just so you know, Charizard will crush you!”

Gloria met Inteleon’s gaze and he nodded at her, smiling. Her eyes watered slightly as she remembered when she held him as a Sobble, how he was so scared of the world around him. She rubbed her wrist across her eyes and grinned.

“Inteleon, Hydro Pump!”

“Charizard, G-Max Wildfire!” An intense heat surrounded the field as a ring of fire formed between Gloria and Leon. Inteleon’s Hydro Pump made contact, dealing significant damage, but he also took a hit from the fiery blast and flinched slightly afterward. He panted as he glared up at Charizard as the towering beast huffed menacingly.

“Inteleon, you good?” Inteleon stood up and put a hand on his hip. “Wicked! Snipe Shot!”

Inteleon pointed at Charizard and launched his signature move. It barreled towards the beast before he could blink and sent him tumbling back slightly.

“You’re not gonna take that, right Charizard?” Leon grinned. “Max Overgrowth!”

Gloria’s eyes widened. As Charizard prepared his attack, she gave Inteleon a silent command and he understood and moved quickly. Charizard unleashed his move and blasted the scorched earth. Leon crossed his arms and waited for the dust to settle. A bead of sweat rolled down Gloria’s cheek as she watched, nervous.

Leon’s arms dropped a bit from shock. “Where is he? Did we… you know?” He looked up at Charizard who shrugged, the move looking comical on the giant monster. Gloria simply laughed.

“Alright, Inteleon, let’s finish this! Snipe Shot!” Leon snapped his head forward and his eyes widened when Inteleon emerged from the hole Rhyperior had made earlier in the battle. Charizard backed away hurriedly but it was too late, the attack had already left Inteleon’s fingers and landed against his stomach. The blow lifted him in the air slightly from its momentum then he fell back down. Explosions sounded as his form was destroyed and he shrunk back to his normal shape. Charizard grunted and collapsed face first in the ground. Inteleon stood over him, panting with a hand on his hip. He looked back at Gloria, who jumped for joy and ran toward her partner, hugging him.

“We did it!” She looked over at Leon, who had his back toward her and his head bowed. She saw him grip the brim of his cap then fling it in the air, turning to face her with a grin. The hat landed behind him on the ground as the crowd roared and cheered.

“My time as champion is over, but what a time it’s been!” he exclaimed. He went up to her and shook her hand firmly once. “Thank you for the greatest battle I’ve ever had!”

Gloria squeezed his hand and grinned. “That _was_ pretty amazing, yea?” She looked up and saw her face on the screen and put her hands up in the peace sign, the ‘69’ clearly visible on her jersey.

In the stands, Hop’s voice went hoarse from yelling and his and Gloria’s mums hands hurt from clapping. Marnie and Bede shared a smile and looked on quietly. Sonia cheered with Nessa and Professor Magnolia clapped, a kind smile on her face.

Leon held her wrist and lifted both his arms up. “I can’t wait to see what you do! Galar is lucky to have a champion as strong as you!”

Gloria let out a breath and closed her eyes, basking in the excitement in the air.

Her journey was only beginning.

-x-

Gloria was slumped over the desk in her room, staring at Eternatus’ dusk ball. She prodded it with a finger and sighed when nothing happened. Her ears perked when she heard the front door open and she smiled when she heard a familiar voice.

“Is she ‘ere?”

“Yes dear, in her room brooding.”

She could practically hear Marnie’s eyeroll. “Broodin’ over what? Winnin’ against th’ unbeatable Champion?”

Her mum sighed. “I don’t know, she’s been in a mood lately.” Her tone changed slightly. “Have you two… you know—”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Gloria yelled, blushing. “I can hear you!” She heard their laughter and pouted, turning to see Marnie fondly looking over her.

“What’s amatter, ya grump? Bein’ Champion ’snot enough for ya?”

Gloria said nothing but pouted even harder. Marnie sighed and leaned down to kiss her and Gloria brightened immediately. She gripped Marnie’s forearms and pulled her closer, then sighed when she pulled away. “Your mum’s ‘ere, Glo,” Marnie muttered, blushing.

“I thought you didn’t care about other people,” Gloria teased. Marnie straightened and adjusted her leather jacket.

“I don’, but your mum’s not ‘other people’,” Marnie clarified. She put her hand out and Gloria accepted the help, standing and pecking her girlfriend’s cheek in thanks. “So why are ya so bummed?”

Gloria sighed and looked at Eternatus’ ball. “It’s still not talking to me, and I don’t know why.”

“Why does it bother ya so much?” Gloria frowned and looked down as she played with Marnie’s fingers. “Are ya worried it’ll attack again?”

“No, but… ugh, you’re gonna laugh.” She looked up into Marnie’s serious expression and took a deep breath, encouraged. “I thought we had an understanding. I thought we could _actually_ be friends. Maybe I was wrong…”

“Ya jus’ need ta give it more time,” Marnie suggested, brushing a hair behind Gloria’s ear. She had gotten a haircut, _finally_. “’S pro’bly still a li’l sore ya wiped th’ floor with it.”

“Maybe,” Gloria giggled. She smiled and squeezed Marnie’s hand. “Thanks. So, enough about me. How are _you_ doing, Miss Gym Leader?” She poked Marnie’s stomach and the other girl caught the offending hand and intertwined their fingers.

“Jus’ finished my Gym Leader exams, so ‘m finally free. Least ‘til the next gym season.”

“Congrats!” Gloria said sweetly, pecking her lips. “I’m so proud!” She then blinked and her smile dropped. “We’re gonna have new runts challenging us now. Oh man, I have to go out like Leon did in his spandex and tell kids to have a champion time, aren’t I?” Gloria groaned and leaned against Marnie’s shoulder, which shook with her quiet laughter.

“Hmm, pro’bly.” Gloria lifted her head to glare at her and she bit her lip. “Maybe not? Ya could pro’bly choose your own ‘proach…”

“I suppose…” Gloria sighed. “Oh well, I’ll think about it later. How were the exams? What did they make you do?” She tugged Marnie over to her bed and they both laid on it facing each other. Gloria’s mum peeked over the corner and smiled fondly before going back to the living room. She corralled Munchlax back with her and the two exited the house for a walk to Hop’s house.

Gloria played with Marnie’s choker as she snuggled up to her and listened to her recount her exams.

“That’s brutal,” the brunette said. “Isn’t putting you in the Dust Bowl alone with only one Pokemon a little excessive?”

“’Twas Piers’ idea,” the raven-haired woman grumbled. “He’s all ‘bout _tough love_ , which is bollocks.”

“Agreed.”

They remained quiet for a bit, enjoying the comfortable silence. Gloria’s phone pinged and she sat up as she retrieved it from her pocket. She saw a message from Hop and smiled. Marnie sat up and wrapped an arm around her waist, peeking over her shoulder.

“Hop’s over ‘n Kalos?” she questioned.

“Yea, he just got there. Says there’s a bit of a language barrier but he’s learning. The professor there, Professor Sycamore, is interested in learning more about Dynamaxing and studying its relationship with Mega Evolution, but Sonia can’t be there. She’s working on her book, I think. I suppose Hop’s the next best thing since he isn’t tied down here.”

“How long’s he stayin’ there for?”

“A month.” Gloria scrolled down her phone. “Looks like Bede’s with him, too.” She showed Marnie a selfie Hop took with Bede in Lumiose city. Hop had his arm around Bede and his lips planted against the side of his face. Bede looked unimpressed but the blush on his face said otherwise.

“Cute,” Marnie said.

“Very,” Gloried agreed. “When Bede gets back he’ll probably take over the gym for Opal.”

Marnie hummed and pressed her nose to the side of Gloria’s neck. “So have ya decided?”

“Decided what?”

“Y’know.”

“Oh, that…” Marnie felt Gloria swallow nervously. “W-well, I was hoping to break it to you when we were there, but I’ve decided to move out to Wyndon. It’s just more convenient,” she finished hurriedly, fussing with the comforter under her.

Marnie held on tighter and reached a hand out to grip Gloria’s. “Hey, ’s alrigh’.’m not mad or anythin’. Jus’ happy that ya know what ya want.”

Gloria relaxed under her and turned to her, beaming. “You’re the best!” she kissed Marnie again and pushed her down on the bed. “Have I ever told you how amazing you are?”

Marnie giggled. “Hm, maybe.” She looked up at Gloria kneeling over her, the early afternoon’s sun rays lighting her eyes in hues of amber and brown. Her breath caught in her throat. Gloria was equally speechless.

“I love you.”

Gloria’s eyes widened as though she hadn’t meant for that to come out. She tried to scramble away but Marnie acted fast and held her in place. Gloria peeked at her through her eyelashes and Marnie laughed, sitting up with Gloria in her lap. She kissed her sweetly before pulling away and smiling brightly.

“I love you, too.”


	34. Unresolved Feelings

_Six months later…_

Steps echoed loudly in a beautiful, glittering tunnel as a figure made their way down the rocky path. They wore a hood, obscuring their face, and kept their head down to avoid eye contact with curious workers. When they reached their destination, they were interrupted by a man in a black suit.

“Authorized personnel only—” the man stopped when the figure lifted their head slightly, “o-oh, it’s you… my deepest apologies, please, continue.” He stepped back and allowed the person to continue, the latter muttering a soft thank you.

Ahead, Oleana was slamming the head of a pickaxe against a slab of unrefined ore. She wore loose worker clothes and a yellow hardhat, her hair tied behind her head in a ponytail. She had thick white gloves and thicker steel-toed boots that looked far too big on her. When she noticed she had a visitor, she paused and set her tool down, wiping her forehead with her sleeve.

The blonde’s eyes widened when the guest lowered their hood to reveal Gloria, who she had not seen for the better part of half a year. Neither of them had changed much, though both had matching sets of dark rings under their eyes.

“G-Gloria…” she stuttered, turning her head away. She pursed her lips, then sighed. “Why have you come to visit me? And why are you wearing a hood?”

“I came—” the brunette rasped, then cleared her throat, “I came to see you, because I’ve been stuck. I can’t get what happened back then out of my head and I need advice. Since Rose is basically isolated from the rest of humanity…” Gloria paused when Oleana flinched at the sound of her former boss’ name, then continued, “you’re the next best thing. The hood is because I’m a little terrified of the paparazzi.” Gloria chuckled mirthlessly and shook her head. “They are vicious. Doubt they would take me visiting you very well.”

Oleana flicked her eyes toward the Champion then back to a spot on a blue jewel wedged in the wall. “Is it hard for you to sleep?”

The brunette fidgeted, then nodded. “Yea. It’s… Marnie’s really worried, and I know she’s trying to help, but it’s just—” She sighed and buried her face in her palms. “She can’t understand. And I haven’t seen her in two weeks because of some special Gym Leader training… coincidentally, that’s also when I stopped sleeping properly.”

“And Leon’s brother, Hop?”

Gloria shook her head. “He’s been so busy lately, I haven’t had a chance to sit down and talk to him… we are meeting up later today, though. But I wanted to see you first.”

Oleana stayed quiet for a while, then turned her head to look at her. “What do you dream about, when you do find sleep?” She gestured to a chair nearby and Gloria sat down.

The brunette waited for Oleana to sit opposite her. “I dream about what would have happened if Rose actually succeeded. Most times I die – I fall off the tower, or I get crushed by a piece of the building, or I get vaporized by a Dynamax Beam. Sometimes, Rose chains me up and kills Zacian or Zamazenta in front of me.”

“Do you ever dream about anything past your own death?”

“Yes.” She took in a shuddering breath. “Rose always, _always_ loses control of Eternatus, and the whole region is obliterated. All my friends and family get killed.” She looked up to meet Oleana’s intelligent, piercing eyes. “What do you dream about?”

“I always dream of the first time we met,” she answered softly.

Gloria flinched and hugged herself. “I’m sorry. It must be jarring to hear someone talk so poorly about him to you…”

The blonde shook her head. “It is fine. I have been trying to accept that I lost him a long time ago. Though I do wish I could have prevented him from spiralling down this path, I fear that it would have always ended this way.”

“Did you love him?”

Oleana’s eyes narrowed and she stood up, her ankle chains jangling. “Of course I loved him!” she shouted. Her voice echoed off the cave walls and she gasped, sitting down and gripping her pant legs tightly. She sniffled and shook her head. “I loved him… more than I’ve ever loved anyone.”

The brunette stayed quiet, watching the blonde regain control of her emotions. “Do you… still love him?”

The older woman squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in her palms. When she lifted her head to meet Gloria’s gaze, they were brimming with tears. “Yes,” she whispered.

Gloria shifted slightly, remembering one very uncomfortable fact. “But you testified against him…”

Oleana nodded. “I did.” She paused and sighed. “I love him, but that does not excuse his actions against the region. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it was to keep the people safe.”

“To keep _him_ safe,” Gloria corrected, frowning. “You did this so that he would never hurt anyone, or himself, ever again.” The ensuing silence was more than enough to confirm Gloria’s suspicions. “How did… how did you two meet?”

At that, the blonde smiled nostalgically as though she were reliving the treasured memory. “I was a secretary for a failing company. They had just filed for bankruptcy and Macro Cosmos was preparing to acquire them. My employer at the time refused to pay me, and we had been arguing for a long time when Rose came in with his father. When I saw him, my eyes could not leave his, and he immediately announced that I would be joining his team as his personal assistant. I had bills—how could I refuse such a tempting offer? Over time, our relationship evolved into something more… personal, especially after his father had passed. Rose had no one, but I was there for him.”

“And he was there for you…”

“Yes. And I will be forever grateful to him for that. But that does not undo the wrongs he did to this region’s people.”

“And the wrongs he did to you,” Gloria added softly, meeting Oleana’s eyes with a tender smile. “Oleana, you matter. Don’t ever think that your suffering matters any less than anyone else’s…”

The blonde woman wringed her hands and looked away. “All I wanted,” she whispered, eyes glazing over, “was for us to be happy. I gave him everything. I was his eyes and ears, his hands and feet, his first, second and last. But it was not enough.”

Gloria had nothing to say to that, so she lowered her head in thought and sighed. She jumped when Oleana stood, her chains rustling with her movements. The woman put her hand on Gloria’s shoulder, prompting her to meet her gaze. “Champion, there is so much you must learn. Not just from our mistakes, but also our successes. You must solve the energy crisis before time runs out. The region is depending on you to be there for them, and you must accept that your life is now intertwined with theirs, at least for the time being.”

“What if I’m not good enough?” Gloria whispered, shaking. “I keep having these dreams and I wonder if I’ll ever be able to move past them. What if I can’t solve this crisis and it all goes to pot?”

“You will,” Oleana said firmly, and it was the most confident she’d sounded since Gloria had stepped into the cave. “You have people who love you and care about you, people who you can depend on. They may not understand all of your troubles, but they will try, and that is more than enough. They will support you and together, you will be able to secure Galar’s future.”

Gloria inhaled a shuddering breath, then nodded as she stood up. “Okay.” She put her hand over Oleana’s, then moved to cradle it in both of her hands. She smiled at the older woman, who couldn’t help but offer a smaller smile back. “Thank you. I still feel a little down, but maybe I’ll feel better with some rest. I think I might actually be able to sleep through the night this time.”

“You will find that most things in life become easier with sleep.”

Gloria giggled at that, thinking it to be wise advice. She sobered and squeezed Oleana’s hand. “What about you? What will you do?”

The blonde sighed and retracted her hand, clutching it against her chest. “I still have four years left on my sentence, and then I can go out on parole. It is prohibited for me to contact Rose, but I believe he will seek me when the time is right.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know,” Oleana admitted, closing her eyes. “It’s just a feeling…”

“I don’t mean to be an asshole,” Gloria started, crossing her arms, “but I hope he never steps foot outside his jail ever again.”

The blonde regarded Gloria for a moment, then turned away, her face blank. “Understandable.” She moved away from the champion and picked up her tool. “Thank you for your visit, but I must be returning to my duties…”

“Take care, Oleana.” Gloria put her hood up and turned to leave but stopped when she heard a voice behind her.

“Please tell Bede that I am very sorry… and that I wish him the best.”

Gloria said nothing and smiled as she left the mine.

-x-

Corviknight cawed as she landed in the main square of Wyndon. She stared up at the statue of her likeness and tilted her head, curious. Gloria giggled and ruffled her feathers. “That’s not you, silly.” She turned and smiled when she spotted the person she was looking for. Her mood lightened instantly.

“Hey, Hop!” She ran to him and gave him a big hug, then stepped back to smile brightly at him.

“Hey, Gloria,” Hop greeted, slinging an arm around her shoulders and returning her smile. “I haven’t seen you in so long! How have you been, mate?”

The brunette laughed. “Oh, you know… Champion duties and whatnot. How about you?” The duo started the walk to Wyndon stadium.

“Just got back from Alola. Boy, it is beautiful over there. And Professor Kukui is a real nice bloke!”

“Is he the one that’s always shirtless?” Gloria grinned lecherously. “Make any moves on him?”

Hop blushed a beet red. “Gloria, no, gross!” He shoved his best friend away from him, growling at her uproar of laughter. “He’s way older than me, plus he’s not my type.”

“Who’s not your type?”

The Postwick natives looked up to see Bede and Marnie walking towards them in their new gym uniforms. _Is it just me or is that crop top riding even higher now?_ Gloria thought, looking her girlfriend up and down. She broke away from Hop and greeted her with a kiss, smiling when her arms wrapped around her protectively. She didn’t think it possible, but it felt as though all of her previous worries were washed away, at least for now.

Hop pouted when Bede crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.

“Gloria was just being a dick!” Hop explained desperately, his blush spreading down his neck and up to his ears. “I swear it wasn’t anything serious.” He shimmied over to Bede and unwrapped his arms from his chest to hold his hands lightly. “You know it’s only you…” The taller man blushed lightly and cleared his throat.

“Ahem, yes, well… I was just making sure,” he mumbled. He leaned down to kiss Hop and Gloria turned to her lover with a grin.

“Did ya miss me?” Gloria teased, poking her stomach. Marnie pulled her tighter and nodded.

“Longest two weeks of me life…” Marnie sighed. “Least I wasn’ as bad as Bede…”

Bede rolled his eyes, though his back was to the couple and Hop laughed when he pulled away from their kiss. “Did you really miss me that much?” He interlaced their fingers and Bede cleared his throat.

“We may have spent a couple nights discussing you two…” he trailed off, blushing.

“Try ev’ry night,” Marnie muttered, avoiding his glare. “An’ I thought I was lovesick.”

“Oh, cut it out you two,” Gloria said cheerfully. “Let’s grab a bite to eat, yea? I bet you’re famished.”

Bob’s Your Uncle had exploded in popularity after the Champion had revealed it was her favourite restaurant, which led to several branches opening across the region. Most recently, Wyndon had acquired its own branch, and Gloria was eager to give it a try. She sat next to Marnie and across from Hop and Bede. The Gym Leaders were still in their uniforms, garnering looks from the other customers.

Gloria thanked the waiter as he took their orders and turned to the boys and Marnie. “So what exactly was this super secret training that even the Champion wasn’t allowed to see?”

Marnie sighed. “We’re all tired of gettin’ our asses kicked by ya so we’re tryna figure out some new strategies.”

Hop leaned his cheek on his fist and grinned. “Sounds like you’ll be an unbeatable champion of your own, Glo!”

“Don’t Jynx it, Hop.”

“Whaaaat… I’m just sayin’.”

“Marnie, exactly what is the point of calling this training secret if you are going to tell her anyway?” Bede complained.

She huffed and frowned. “Well, even if she weren’ the Champion I’d still tell her unlike your boyfriend.” Her eyes widened as she realized how that came out, especially when Bede glared at her furiously. “Hop, I’m sorry—”

“It’s okay!” Hop interrupted, smiling. “Seriously, don’t worry about it. I’ve been trying out different things to figure out my calling. I’ve managed to rack up a ton of wins up at the Battle Tower. Leon’s worried I’ll end up replacing him!”

“Still, I shouldn’ ‘ave said tha’.”

“Like I said, don’t worry about it. It just wasn’t meant to be!” Hop shrugged. “Plus, I’ve had a blast travelling to different regions and meeting different professors on Sonia’s behalf, kinda like an assistant… except she actually has one now.”

Gloria sighed sadly. “I wish I could go traveling, but my hands are still tied helping with planning the new gym season and figuring out this energy crisis situation.”

“Have ya decided on what t’do, yet?” Marnie asked, holding Gloria’s hand. She shook her head.

“No, but I refuse to use Dynamax energy. I won’t put Eternatus through that torture ever again. We have to be creative and think of new ways to do this.” She drummed her fingers against the table. “And… I spoke with Oleana.”

Hop’s jaw dropped and Bede narrowed his eyes. Marnie seemed to be unaffected. The blonde man flicked his eyes over to her and rolled them.

“You knew, didn’t you? All those times you had to go the loo you were just on your phone…”

“Don’ act all high an’ mighty when ya did the same,” Marnie snapped, scowling.

Bede opened his mouth to retort but stopped when Gloria cut him off. “Oleana says she’s sorry, Bede. And she wants the best for you.”

“The best for me? That would involve never hearing her name spoken in front of me ever again,” he answered hotly, emotion coating his voice. Hop rubbed his back tenderly, then pushed a few wisps of blonde hair back. He looked over at Gloria and sighed.

“Did she say anything useful? Maybe some side research on alternative power generation?”

“Nothing like that.” Gloria shook her head. “I just needed some closure. And I think I got it.”

“Congratulations,” Bede muttered, bitterly. “My closure is located in some mould-ridden cell located Arceus-knows-where. May he rot in there.”

“Bede…” Hop mumbled, slightly taken aback. He hadn’t realized his lover still had so much to work through. _I’ve been an awful boyfriend…_

The brunette cleared her throat awkwardly and twiddled her thumbs. “Uh, Hop… you wouldn’t have any ideas on how to solve the energy crisis, would ya? Maybe something you saw abroad?”

Hop pondered a bit, rubbing the stubble on his chin in thought. “Hmm… I might have something, but I’ll probably have to run it by Sonia first and cross-check it with a few other references. If I’m right, we can get energy everywhere with basically no effort, including Spikemuth!”

The food arrived at last and the group eagerly dug into their meals. Bede sighed and shook his head. “Let’s enjoy this meal and leave the serious discussions to later.” The others agreed by stuffing their faces, happy to be reunited.

-x-

Gloria and Marnie held hands as they walked the streets of Wyndon. The couple approached the railing by the river that split the city in two and leaned against it. Gloria closed her eyes and tipped her head back, enjoying the sun and the cool breeze. She felt Marnie lean her head on her shoulder and smiled. She opened her mouth to say something when a microphone was thrusted into her line of sight. She blinked and followed the object until she met the eyes of an excited reporter. _Damn it! What do they want now?_

“Yes?” Gloria said politely, now fully turned around. Beside her, Marnie pulled away and ignored the reporter as she tossed pebbles in the river, occasionally skipping them.

“Champion Gloria! Do you have time for a quick, spontaneous interview? Those are soooo hot and trendy right now!”

Gloria glanced over at Marnie and sighed. “Uh… sure. Why not. What’s on your mind?”

“It’s not about us, Champion, it’s about what’s on the _people’s_ mind!” The cameraman beside her shifted his weight as he adjusted the lens to focus on Gloria’s face, Marnie out of sight.

“First question: what is your opinion of your rival and childhood best friend, Hop?”

Gloria grinned. “That’s easy! He’s an amazing trainer and definitely one of the kindest people I know.”

“How did it feel when you crushed him in the Semifinals almost eight months ago?”

“Uh… well, it’s a little complicated, I mean I was happy I’d won, but—”

“Next question! Is it true that he harbours romantic feelings for you and gave up the match?”

Gloria frowned, smile quickly disappearing. “What? No way! Hop gave it his all and so did I! In fact, he actually has a boy—"

“Final question! Many say it was Hop who stopped Eternatus and that he chose to give you the credit so you would look better in the eyes of the public. Comments?”

Gloria’s face reddened and she opened her mouth to protest, slowly feeling Postwick mode coming back to her, but a hand shot out suddenly and blocked the camera lens. Gloria watched, horrified, as Marnie took the reporter’s microphone and tossed it into the river.

“Interview’s over, we’re leavin’,” Marnie muttered. She grabbed Gloria’s hand and pulled her away from the distraught tv crew. They walked at a brisk pace for several minutes until Gloria dug her heels in and pulled Marnie into an alley. She gently pushed the angry young woman against the side of the building and tried to get their eyes to meet.

“Hey, what happened back there?” she cupped Marnie’s cheek with her palm and used the other hand to steady herself against the wall. Marnie breathed in then out, then met Gloria’s eyes as she crossed her arms.

“I couldn’ take how they were playin’ ya back there,” she confessed. “Listenin’ to ‘em imply tha’ you an’ Hop are a thing… then them sayin’ everythin’ you ever did was a lie… Gloria, I’ll _never_ let _anyone_ say anythin’ ‘bout you.”

 _I really am the luckiest person in Galar._ Gloria’s eyes shone with tears and she leaned forward to kiss Marnie softly. Marnie melted into her embrace and pulled her in by her waist. When Gloria leaned back, Marnie wiped her tears away from her cheeks.

“I love you,” Marnie mumbled.

“I love you, too. So much.” Gloria laughed. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

“I wonder the same all the time.”

The two women looked at each other, then Gloria breathed out a tired sigh as she closed her eyes. “That’s probably gonna be on the telly. Can’t wait for Mum’s phone calls… and maybe Hop’s mum, too, ugh.”

“Piers’ll ‘ave a few words to share, pro’bly.” At Gloria’s stricken look she chuckled. “All high praise, ‘course. He hates th’press.”

“Thank Arceus.” Gloria leaned her forehead against Marnie’s and smiled. “Let’s head back to my place, yea? I’ve got a lot to fill you up on…”

-x-

Bede looked up at the moon from the windowsill of his and Opal’s house in Ballonlea. The latter was asleep, and Hop was also around for a visit. His thoughts were like a dark, stormy cloud, feeling a mixture of emotions in his heart. His back was against the window frame and he had one leg tucked into his chest, the other hanging outside the house. The moon always seemed to help him calm down and think, which was likely due to his connection with Fairy Pokemon, but tonight was different. _She says she’s sorry, Bede._ He clenched his jaw. _And she wants the best for you._

“What a load of bollocks,” he mumbled.

“I know, right? Me and Gloria… ugh!” Hop laughed, planting a kiss on Bede’s cheek. A shiver went up the blonde man’s spine at the feeling of his lover’s stubble rubbing against him. He could feel want build in him the longer Hop stayed pressed his side. He almost groaned in disappointment when the man stepped away to regard him curiously.

“Are you okay?” He sat on the windowsill as well and put a hand on Bede’s knee. “Is this about that interview on the telly?” Hop grimaced. “I promise I’ll talk to Gloria first thing in the morning.”

“No,” Bede chuckled, letting a small smile slip through. “It’s not that, though I was never worried in the first place.” He remained quiet, content to stew in his tumultuous feelings.

Hop, however, was not so quick to give up. “Is it about Oleana?” he tried, then winced. “Uh, sorry, didn’t mean to say her name, but it would have been hard to—”

“It’s fine,” Bede interrupted. “I was being… dramatic, earlier.”

“What’s wrong, love?”

The Ballonlea Gym Leader exhaled deeply through his nose and met his boyfriend’s eyes. “I do not enjoy reliving memories of my past anymore. They have been tainted by what I know now about the Chair—about Rose. And Oleana. And I’m angry that everything I’ve ever known was a lie.”

Hop was quiet for a minute. Bede turned to look up at the moon again when Hop spoke. “Yea it’s true that they are awful people, but that doesn’t—shouldn’t—undo any of the happiness you felt as a kid. You can enjoy the good times you had with them, you’re allowed to feel happiness, Bede.”

“It’s not a matter of _should_ or _do_ ,” Bede countered lowly. “It’s a matter of _cannot_.”

“What, like whether you _deserve_ to enjoy your past?” Hop said, bewildered. “Bede, you were just a _kid_! A-and they had years to—to _groom_ you!”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” Bede closed his eyes and tipped his head back, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. “I mean I physically—or mentally, I suppose—cannot feel happy about those memories anymore. I think about any time they did something for me, and it makes me furious, because it all led to that one final moment back in Stow-on-Side, when I was tossed aside like rubbish.” He sniffled but refused to cry, squeezing his eyes shut tighter.

“Bede…” Hop’s eyes softened and he scooted closer. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring that up again. But it all turned out for the better in the end, wouldn’t you say? You’re the Gym Leader of Ballonlea now, and you have Opal, and Gloria, and Marnie and—”

“—you,” Bede whispered, opening his eyes. Hop’s breath caught in his throat as he stared into the blonde’s man amethyst eyes, his heart rate picking up. A hand cupped his cheek as Bede leaned forward, ghosting their lips over each other. “Together, we’ll make new memories, and erase the old…”

“Right…”

Their lips met and they stood up, stumbling back into the darkness of the room.

-x-

Gloria squinted against the bright light flaring across her lids and shifted, causing the arms around her to tighten and a soft sigh to fan across the back of her neck. The brunette smiled and leaned back, slowly opening her eyes. She felt refreshed and renewed. _No nightmares and uninterrupted sleep… one of life’s simpler pleasures._

“Mornin’…” a low voice whispered against her bare shoulder. She shivered slightly, then turned her head to meet sleepy green eyes.

“Hey, you.” The two said nothing further, content to bask in the comfort of each other’s warmth. The brunette then turned to meet her girlfriend fully, propping her head up on her elbow and smiling down. “That was the best sleep I’ve had in weeks.”

Marnie stretched then sighed, nuzzling against the champion’s neck. “I take full credit for that.”

Gloria gasped, feigning offence, and pushed Marnie lightly away from her naked body. “No cuddles for you!”

The raven-haired woman pouted slightly and the brunette bit her lip. _Those damn eyes! How can I resist?_ She sighed and relented, tugging her smug lover back in. “You’re lucky you have the most gorgeous eyes in Galar.”

“Mm, you’re righ’, I am lucky, but not for tha’ reason.” She slid her lips over a faded bruise, delighting in Gloria’s quiet gasp.

“A-and what r-reason is that?” Gloria stuttered, moving her hands to Marnie’s loose hair, lying back. She whimpered when the raven-haired woman lifted her head and nipped at her jaw, slowly making her way to her goal. The champion sighed when their lips finally met, falling into an old but exciting routine.

Just as Marnie lifted one of her legs up with an arm, the brunette gasped and pulled back, clutching her head. “Gloria?!” Marnie’s voice held a tinge of panic to it as she tried to sit both of them up. The champion groaned and rubbed her temples.

“Ugh, sorry… I’m okay, don’t worry.” She dropped her hands and kissed her lover’s frown away. “There was just this weird… buzzing noise at the back of my head. And it felt like my brain was beating behind my eyes, kinda like a heartbeat. It’s hard to describe, but it feels familiar.” She paused, struggling to collect her thoughts. “Zamazenta, maybe?”

“Is it ‘bout Eternatus?”

“No… no it wasn’t urgent. More like, he just wants to see me. Let me call—” her phone rang just then, and Marnie leaned over to grab it for her. When Gloria answered it, she seemed relieved, “—Hop! You felt it too?”

_“Yea! Should we head over to the Slumbering Weald?”_

“I’ll meet you there. Call Sonia too, she might want to get a good look at what happens.”

_“Got it!”_

Gloria looked at Marnie apologetically and the woman kissed her in return. “Go,” Marnie said when she pulled back. “We’ll talk more later.”

Gloria nodded and smiled. She left their bed and hurriedly put her clothes on, leaning in for one last farewell kiss before running out the door. The Spikemuth Gym Leader sighed and flopped back onto the bed after grabbing her phone. She scrolled idly through social media, frowning when she saw several articles on her girlfriend’s love life, which _conveniently_ excluded her. For what reason, she had no idea.

_Gloria and Hop: Childhood Sweethearts!_

_Gloria and Oleana: A Forbidden Love?_

_Gloria and Bea: Talent VS Experience!_

The first one made her laugh, the second one made her cringe but the third one caused a strange feeling of restlessness and a hint of anger to course through her gut. She clicked on it and rolled her eyes at what she saw. _These photos are from her gym challenge… do these people have nothing better to do than recycle old, meaningless photos?_ The article had snapshots of when Gloria saved Bea from the crumbling mural, catching a suggestive perspective from the camera.

She scrolled lower and her frown deepened when she saw a more recent photo. In it, Bea had her hand down Gloria’s back, guiding her through an exercise for her knee. Gloria’s brows were furrowed in concentration, but anyone could tell Bea’s eyes shone with desire. Marnie knew that Gloria had sought rehabilitation therapy from Bea for her injury. But maybe her champion was too oblivious for her own good…

Marnie tapped out of the app when an idea came to her. She sat up and dialled a number. “Bede? I need your help with somethin’…”


	35. Dynamax Disaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the next one are _massive_. While publishing this story I would go back and forth between chapters 30-36, adding scenes, editing and I ended up bloating them so much. And I really don't want to split them up, preferring to stick to my promised 36 chapters, so enjoy I guess lol

Corviknight landed heavily on the path a little far from the pedestal at the edges of the Slumbering Weald. Gloria thanked her and returned her to her pokeball and looked ahead to see Hop staring out across the lake. _Sonia’s not here yet… probably on her way._

“Hey, Hop!”

Hop jumped and turned around to face her. He smiled though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Hey, Gloria…”

She approached him and quirked an eyebrow up. “You good?”

He sighed shakily and was about to nod, then shook his head. “No… I’m really not okay.” He averted his eyes down and crossed his arms. “Gloria… back there, was I really meant to wield Zacian’s sword?”

Gloria blinked in shock. “Of course, you were Hop!” She went up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “What’s this all about?”

“I just don’t get it, Gloria. What’s so special about me? When I look at you I can see how amazing and selfless you are but when I look at me…” he moved over to the river and looked down at his reflection. “…all I see is Lee’s brother or Gloria’s best mate. I don’t see, well, _me_!”

“Hop, you know me an’ Marnie an’ Bede don’t think of you like that. ‘Specially Bede!”

Hop shook his head furiously. “You don’t get it! It doesn’t matter what other people see if I can’t see it. I’ve been going to therapy to deal with what happened, and my therapist really opened my eyes to all the weight I’ve been carrying around. I… I still don’t know what I want in life yet, but I know there’s something out there for me. My life can’t be defined by other people, I won’t accept that!” He turned to her, pokeball in hand. “Battle me, Gloria. Please.”

“Hop, I can’t battle you like—”

“Just do it, damn it!” Hop yelled. He summoned Dubwool. “Let’s go!”

She pressed her lips into a firm line. “Alright…”

-x-

Cinderace fell over with a grunt and Inteleon put a hand to his hip. _Why does this feel like déjà vu?_ Gloria wondered idly. She called back Inteleon and approached Hop warily as he called Cinderace back into his ball.

Hop chuckled. “’Course I can’t beat you, you’re the new unbeatable Champion.” He smiled. “Thanks, Glo. Sorry for getting angry earlier. I just needed this battle to see how far I’ve come, and to confirm what I’ve been thinking…”

“Hop, don’t say you’re not a good trainer. You are! Honestly, if it weren’t for me, you’d definitely have made it to the finals,” Gloria admitted.

“Yea, but would I have beaten Leon? I’m not so sure…”

“Regardless, you’re still a great trainer! You can’t look at your Pokemon and give up on them, right?”

Hop looked aghast. “No, ‘course not. Ugh, my head’s all messed up. I just don’t know what to do…”

“Hey, you two!” The two trainers looked behind to Sonia jogging up to them, hands full with what appeared to be books. “I thought I heard something!”

“Hey Sonia,” they greeted simultaneously. They stumbled when Sonia dropped a book in their arms. Gloria looked at the cover: _Galar: A History_. She flipped through it and was astounded at all the content and photos inside.

“Wow, so you really did it, eh?” Gloria said, amazed. Hop looked equally in awe.

“Yup! Check the inside of the cover. That’s a little thank-you gift for all your help,” Sonia said, winking. Gloria checked the inside and found what appeared to be two plane tickets.

“Are these…?”

“Alola!” Hop yelled excitedly. “Oh man, Gloria, you and Marnie definitely have to go. Gorgeous beaches, delicious foods, and tons of Pokemon. You two will love it!”

“Hm, Marnie could use a little sun,” Gloria joked. Hop looked at his pair of tickets and found them to be destined for Unova.

“Since you’ve already been to Alola, I thought you and Bede would enjoy the big cities in Unova,” Sonia explained.

“Sonia, you really shouldn’t have!”

“This is literally the least I could do. I wouldn’t have been able to crack this mystery if it weren’t for you two. Please accept it.”

“Alright,” Gloria said, smiling. “If you insist…”

“And I really do!” Sonia replied, grinning. Her grin faded and she put her hands on her hips. “So, what’s going on now? Something we should be worried about?”

Hop and Gloria exchanged a glance. “We’re honestly not sure,” Gloria confessed. She shrugged. “We just had a feeling we should come here so we did.”

“Hmm…” Sonia said, twirling her hair. “Maybe the Heroes want their sword and shield back, now that there isn’t any danger? You still have them, right?”

“I was afraid you’d say that,” Hop chuckled. “I’ve held onto it for all this time because I really enjoyed being reminded of how we saved Galar. But I guess it’s time to let it go now.”

“What…” Sonia giggled. “Did you think you had a direct line to Zacian and Zamazenta now, like you were besties or something?”

Gloria stuck her tongue out at Sonia. “Shush.” She pulled the rusted shield out of her bag and held it delicately. She didn’t want to part from it, but Sonia had a point. They weren’t really needed anymore, since she had captured Eternatus. She and Hop went up to the pedestal and deposited the weapons and stepped back.

“Thank you for everything,” Hop muttered. He blinked his eyes quickly. “I hope we get to see you two again someday…” He turned to Gloria with a grin. “Alright! That settles that. Reckon Marnie’s waitin’ on ya like Bede’s waitin’ on me.” He faced Sonia and tilted his head. “What’re you gonna do?”

Sonia looked around then walked away from the pedestal. “I think I’ll stay a bit longer. I’m working on a paper on the fog in the area and I’m curious as to what it really is and why it only affects parts of the forest.” She heard a beeping from her pocket and picked it up curiously. “Huh? My PSD is going off…”

“Well, well, well… I thought I heard someone making noise this way!”

The trio turned to see two gentlemen, one in a red three-piece suit and one in a blue three-piece suit. Both had matching bowties and different hairstyles. The blue one’s hair shot upward and curved into the shape of a sword, whilst the red one’s hair flowed behind his head and rounded out near the bottom, akin to a shield. Gloria bit her lip to keep from laughing and when she glanced to the side, Hop’s cheeks were puffed like a Skwovet from his efforts.

The two men walked past them and stood between them and the pedestal. The red one turned to Sonia and said: “Well, well, well… You wouldn’t be the author of _Galar: A History_ , would you?”

Sonia appeared slightly unnerved. “Eh, ah, hello… erm, did you buy my book? It went on sale a few days ago…”

“Cover to cover!” the man in red exclaimed.

“I even wrote an internet review for it!” the man in blue proclaimed.

They both suddenly erupted in laughter. “That awful book was filled with lies… so we gave it one star!”

“Oh, good one, brother.”

“Thank you, brother.”

Gloria’s face reddened and she lunged for them but Hop put his arm out to block her. They jolted back slightly in shock but straightened. Hop glared at them and crossed his arms when he made sure she wouldn’t maul them. “That is just so rude!”

Sonia stomped forward angrily. “There are no lies printed in that book! Everything is backed by evidence and witness testimonials are correlated with hard data!”

“I am Sordward!” the man in blue declared.

“And _I_ am Shielbert!” the man in red followed.

“We are the new kings of Galar!” Sordward said. “We’re descendants of the first kings!”

They bowed forward, one foot in front and one arm swept out behind them. “More than that, we are celebrities!”

Hop’s jaw dropped. “New kings? Descendants? Are both of ya a bunch of loons?”

Sonia crossed her arms, unimpressed. “Who are you two, really? What is this?”

The men ignored her questions as Sordward turned to the pedestal behind him. “Well, well, well! Could these be the fabled sword and shield?”

Shielbert followed his brother and chuckled. “Well, well, well! They certainly are dirty! They must be fake! I fear to touch them with my bare hands.” Sordward took the rusted sword and Shielbert took the rusted shield.

Hop stepped forward, miffed. “Hey! We just returned those. Put them back!”

“Oh, do shut up!” Sordward snapped, swiveling to face him. “We only happened to pick up some things that were dropped on the ground!”

Shielbert faced Hop and turned his nose up haughtily. “If you’ve got a problem with it, how about you prove to whom they belong, hmm?”

“B-but we can’t do that!” Hop sputtered. “How do we prove who the owners of these ancient artifacts are? All we know is that they’re important to Zacian and Zamazenta!”

“Oh dear, so pushy for a peasant,” Sordward said airily. “Perhaps we should settle this with a battle, hmm?”

“You’re on, pricks,” Gloria muttered, pokeball out.

Shielbert faced Gloria and bowed. “I, the magnificent Shielbert, am your opponent!”

Gloria easily swept Shielbert’s team, taking down his Pokemon with Roserade and Ninetails. She had flinched when he sent out his Klinklang, but Ninetails quickly overpowered it and made sure it didn’t bother Gloria again. She snatched the rusted shield from Shielbert’s hands and glared at him. He met her glare with one of his own and clicked his tongue in frustration.

“Tch! How did this peasant overpower me? You are strong,” Shielbert muttered angrily.

Gloria looked over to see how Hop was doing and her eyes widened when she saw him on his hands and knees, breathing heavily. Sordward stood over him, laughing like he’d just told a good joke.

“Sorry, Gloria,” Hop said, closing his eyes. “I lost…”

“What’s the matter, peasant?” Sordward chuckled. “Something on your mind? You were entirely unfocused during our battle!”

Hop grit his teeth and bowed his head, silent. Sonia put a hand on his shoulder and helped him stand up. Sordward gasped and pointed at Gloria. “Younger brother! Is this not the one who stopped Eternatus?”

“Oho! Upon closer inspection, I do believe it is, older brother!” He narrowed his eyes at Gloria. “How rude of you, to snatch our chance at glory like you did.”

“Hmm… I do believe she was also present when the magnificent mural of our ancestors was destroyed,” Sordward added, rubbing his chin.

“What a brute!” Shielbert gasped. “How dare she destroy the mural our family has held in such high esteem for so long?!”

“Wait a minute…” Sonia interrupted, frowning. “Mural? You mean the one in Stow-on-Side that hid the historical ruins of Zamazenta, Zacian and the two humans? Gloria didn’t destroy it!”

Sordward ignored her again and faced Shielbert. “Let us withdraw for now… next time we shall bring Pokemon that will bring them to their knees!”

“Agreed, brother!” Shielbert exclaimed. They both took off down the path to the Slumbering Weald. “And with that, farewell!”

“W-wait! Stop! Give back the rusted sword!” Hop yelled, running after them.

“Hop, hold on!” Sonia shouted. When Gloria tried following him Sonia pulled her back. “I don’t need both of you recklessly running off like that!”

“I can’t leave Hop to go after them alone!” Gloria yelled.

“We need to think about this calmly,” Sonia said. “Hop won’t be able to catch up to them in the fog. They’re definitely going to get away. For now, we need to regroup and think about what to do next.”

Gloria grumbled but said nothing. Sonia sighed and shook her head. “I can’t believe Hop lost to someone like that. It’s so unlike him. His mind wasn’t in the battle at all.”

“Hop’s… going through something right now,” Gloria supplied. “He’s conflicted on what he truly wants to do in life. I didn’t think it would affect his battling so much…”

“I hope he can pull himself out of this soon.”

“He mentioned to me that he was thinking of ways to generate energy in Galar,” Gloria said. “Has he talked to you about it at all?”

“No…” Sonia frowned. “I didn’t even know he was interested in that, to be honest. I would offer him a lab assistantship on the spot if he asked. I’ll even write up grant proposals to get him some funding! He’s been so helpful to me these last few months.” She smiled slightly. “Well, Hop needs to figure this out on his own, and when he does, he’ll see that the doors have been open all this time. He just needed to look up! Anyway, you should meet up with me back in the lab in Wedgehurst in a bit. I have some ideas on what we can do next.”

Gloria nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

-x-

Gloria landed in Wedgehurst, phone between her ear and her shoulder. She patted Corviknight and called her back to the ball. She straightened and stood outside the lab as she finished up her conversation.

_“Thanks for telling me all this.”_

“No problem, Bede. I think Hop wants to tell you but he just doesn’t know how. Has he called you yet?”

A pause. Then, _“No, but I will be patient.”_ She heard what sounded like a door opening and closing. _“That must be him. See you.”_ Bede hung up without waiting for her goodbye and she sighed. She sent Marnie a quick text updating her on the situation and went to put her phone away when it pinged.

_Marnie <3: If you need help just let me know. Piers is in an exhibition match against Milo in Turffield right now. Once he’s finished I’ll update him_

_Gloria: Thanks love <3 will keep that in mind! _

Gloria smiled as she put her phone away and entered Sonia’s lab. It was the first time she’d been here in months. She’d been so busy with being Champion that she hadn’t had time to visit Sonia. _Or Professor Magnolia, for that matter. I really should pay her a visit and talk to her about Eternatus. She’ll be happy to see I’ve almost completed the Pokedex, too!_

She was startled from her thoughts when a woman with cropped blue hair wearing a lab coat appeared in front of her. “Ah!” the woman exclaimed. She cleared her throat and turned her head slightly. “Professor! You have a visitor!”

Gloria heard what sounded like books falling to the ground and the woman in front of her sighed. Sonia came running towards her, a grin on her face. “Gloria! Glad you could make it.”

The brunette pointed a thumb at the mystery woman. “Uh, who’s this?”

“She’s my assistant, Trisha!” Sonia declared, smiling proudly. “I’ve been so busy with writing up proposals and papers that I’ve had to bring someone here to help with the workload. She’s honestly a gift from Arceus!”

“I-It’s nothing, really,” Trisha blushed as she adjusted her glasses. She smiled at Gloria. “You must be Champion Gloria, then, right? It’s an honour to meet you.”

Gloria smiled kindly at her. “Likewise.” She looked at Sonia, seriousness crawling back into her tone. “So, any updates on our royal friends?”

Sonia rolled her eyes. “I’d hardly call them royals. More like muppets, if you ask me. And yes, come with me.” Gloria followed Sonia to the other side of the lab where a monitor displayed several green fluctuating line graphs. They seemed to be tracking readings of some sort. “Just so you know,” Sonia added, “I’ve collected the Chairman’s stockpile of Wishing Stars and have been keeping them here safely for study. I know they’re part of Eternatus, but I firmly believe we need to learn more about it in case something like this happens again.”

“It’s okay,” Gloria said. “If it wanted them back, it definitely would have tried. So what did you want to show me?”

“Right! So, remember how my PSD went off when those two muppets came up to us back in the Slumbering Weald?” At Gloria’s nod, she continued. “Well, lucky for us, I have PSDs all over Galar hooked up to my phone. Hop helped me install them, actually. Anyway, these readings here indicate the level of Galar particles over time. There’s always some constant reading, which is from the Power Spots in the stadiums, but as soon as we pick up a spike—”

“—we’ll know where those wankers are,” Gloria finished, her eyes wide. “Brilliant, Sonia!”

Sonia flashed a peace sign and smiled. “Thanks!”

Suddenly, a beeping sound came out through the speakers and they looked to see one of the line graphs had turned red. Sonia took her phone out and immediately connected to her software, frowning heavily. “Says here there’s a reading in Turffield! I’ll send you the GPS coordinates so you know where the spike’s coming from, but it looks to me like it might be coming from the stadium.”

Gloria had already turned to leave but stopped and waved back at Sonia. “Thanks, Professor! I’ll get this matter resolved.”

“That’s our champion!” Sonia cheered. Gloria grinned and exited the lab, dialling Hop’s number. He picked up on the first ring and she sighed in relief. “Hop, meet me in Turffield. We’re gonna get the sword back.”

_-x-_

Gloria landed at the same time as Hop in front of the stadium when they heard a loud explosion. Her eyes widened. _Piers!_ She rushed into the lobby, Hop right behind her, and was relieved to see Piers and Milo in deep conversation. All around, there were people huddled together in fear. They perked up as they saw her and Hop, hope lighting up their faces.

“It’s the Champion! She’s here to save us!”

“And Hop, her boyfriend!”

 _My what now!_ She thought, shocked. Beside her, Hop seemed equally paralyzed from shock, but they quickly snapped out of it when Piers and Milo came up to them. “Hey, great to see you!” Milo greeted, ever the jovial spirit. “We have a teeny-tiny problem out there…”

“An’ by that, he means a giant pain in the arse,” Piers sighed. “Literally.”

“What happened?” Hop asked. Piers crossed his arms and sighed again.

“We were battlin’ an’ a Pokemon Dynamaxed outta nowhere. It’s rampagin’ out on the field righ’ now. We were debatin’ on whether we should call for help when you two arrived.” Piers narrowed his eyes. “A li’l convenient, if ya ask me…”

“What, you think I sent that Pokemon in there?” Gloria snorted. “No, I came here for another reason. Chasing two clowns that are messing with the heroes’ artifacts. Maybe they’re the ones behind this?”

“Hm, could be,” Milo said, frowning. “We didn’t see anyone, but we can’t rule anything out.” He put his hands on his hips. “We’ve wasted enough time chatting! Let’s go out and take care of this.”

Hop hesitated. “Uh, I don’t know if I should come along. I might end up slowing you down…”

Piers turned towards him. “I don’ see why you shouldn’ come. Don’ think Leon’d be all lost about this.” He started off towards the stadium. Gloria nodded at Hop and he sighed and followed Piers.

Milo and Gloria then went out onto the pitch and looked up at the Dynamaxed Tsareena. She sent out Ninetails while Hop sent out Cinderace, Piers sent out Obstagoon and Milo sent out Appletun. When Hop went to Dynamax Cinderace, Gloria put her hand out.

“No, Hop, let’s do it without Dynamaxing.” He looked confused but obeyed. Piers looked at her strangely but said nothing. Milo simply grinned and called out the first attack.

“Dragon Pulse!”

The four of them took care of the Pokemon quickly and Milo rushed to hold it in his arms. They re-entered the stadium and the crowd cheered for them.

“They’re so amazing!”

“Wow, we love our new Champion!”

Gloria smiled and crossed her arms as Milo revived Tsareena and passed her off to a gym trainer to tend to. The other gym trainers slowly corralled the people out of the lobby and back to their homes. He turned to the trio in front of him and grinned.

“Thanks for your help out there! We took care of that pretty quickly.”

“This Dynamax stuff… no matter how many times I see it, I really don’ like it,” Piers said lowly. Gloria turned to him curiously but he didn’t elaborate. She knew he never Dynamaxed his Pokemon and though Marnie had given her a good reason why, it seemed like it ran deeper than that.

“I can see your dislike for Dynamaxing clear as day, Piers!” Milo continued cheerfully. “But… this wasn’t an ordinary Dynamax transformation.”

“There wasn’t a trainer anywhere!” Hop noted.

“Hm, that is a little unusual, but we have seen Pokemon Dynamax without a trainer, like when Eternatus was released,” Milo retorted.

“But Eternatus is in its ball and can’t affect the environment,” Gloria argued, feeling oddly protective of her destructive Pokemon. “So, there must have been someone behind this.”

“How bothersome,” Piers sighed.

“Well, on the bright side, things have calmed down.” Milo smiled. “If you ever need my help Champion, please give me a call.” He gave her his card and she tucked it away gratefully. “I have to do some damage assessment, so I’ll see you guys around later.” He left them alone and they stood quietly.

“Well, well, well! Looks like that Dynamax nonsense has calmed down.”

The trio turned to see Sordward and Shielbert standing behind the concession stand.

“Well, well, well! The Champion is here, as expected.”

Hop ran up to them and slammed his hands down on the counter. “I knew you’d be here! Give me back the sword right now!”

They guffawed in laughter, holding onto each other. “Is this peasant addressing us after we gave him a proper thrashing? How amusing!”

“Indeed, older brother!”

Hop grit his teeth. “Argh! What is with you two! Come out here so I can battle you!”

“Hop, calm the fuck down,” Gloria muttered. “Don’t let them rile you up like that.”

“Who the hell are these two wankers?” Piers said as he got closer. “All staff and spectators should’ve been evacuated.”

Sordward bowed. “The normal rules don’t apply to us!”

Shielbert bowed as well. “We are royalty, after all!”

“What the fuck?” Piers mumbled, blinking.

Sordward scoffed as he and his brother straightened. “Who is this ruffian to question us, dear brother? Good sir, you are but a peasant with a strange taste in hairstyles!”

Piers let out a sharp laugh. “Ya think I’ll put any stock in anythin’ that comes outta your yaps? Least my hair don’ look like a prick!”

Gloria and Hop choked on their laughter, spit flying everywhere. Sordward and Shielbert looked absolutely scandalized.

“How—how _dare_ you?!” Sordward sputtered. “I’ll have you know, this style is the same as my ancestor’s who vanquished Eternatus long ago! You _owe_ us your unflinching loyalty!”

“You _owe_ us the sword!” Hop interrupted, getting back on track. Sordward ignored him and turned to Shielbert.

“It appears our experiment was a success, younger brother.”

“Quite, quite! We must try to Dynamax even stronger Pokemon. Soon, we will reveal the true natures of Zacian and Zamazenta.”

“What was that about Zacian and Zamazenta?” Hop questioned furiously. Shielbert once again ignored him and turned to Gloria.

“You, despicable Champion! We will continue to allow Dynamax Pokemon to run amok!”

“If you’d like to stop us, we invite you chase our splendid-looking bottoms!” Sordward chuckled.

“And with that, farewell!” They both dashed off behind the stand. Hop went to leap over the counter but Piers gripped his shoulder.

“Calm down, Hop. You don’t gotta act so hard,” Piers muttered. Hop turned to him with panic in his eyes.

“They’re getting away!”

“Yea, and they could be leadin’ us to a trap. We gotta act carefully.”

“Piers’ right, Hop,” Gloria said. “Plus, we can track them now that we know they’re the ones Dynamaxing Pokemon.”

“Ughh!” Hop groaned. “You’re right! Okay, what do we do next?”

“Good,” Piers smirked. “Thanks to them flappin’ their yaps, we know their goal is to force Pokemon to Dynamax. We don’t know why yet, but we know they’ll keep doin’ it.”

“We’ve gotta stop them!” Hop exclaimed.

“Not arguin’ with ya there, mate,” Piers sighed. “We just gotta figure out where they’re goin’ next.”

Gloria’s phone started ringing and she answered it. “Sonia. Anything new?”

_“It’s a right proper mess, Gloria! Right when I thought everything had calmed down around Turffield, I picked up a huge spike in Hulbury! I tried to get a hold of Nessa, but she’s not picking up and now I’m super worried about her and—”_

“Slow down, Sonia,” Gloria said slowly. “Hulbury, right? We’ll head there right now. We picked up Piers along the way. We’ll make sure Nessa’s alright.”

_“That’s not all! I picked up another spike in Motostoke! Seems like there’s something big going on. What happened at Turffield?”_

“Those two morons Dynamaxed a wild Pokemon and plopped her in the middle of the stadium during a match. Piers and Milo got everyone evacuated and me an’ Hop helped them calm it down. They’re probably the ones behind the spikes in Hulbury and Motostoke.”

“Wait, did she say there’re more spikes?” Piers interrupted. His eyes widened. “Marnie! She’s in Spikemuth on her own!”

Gloria put Sonia on speaker phone at her request. _“She’ll be fine, Piers! I’m only detecting large fluctuations around Hulbury and Motostoke. Plus, Spikemuth doesn’t have a Power Spot, so it should be okay!”_

“Right…” Piers sighed. Gloria thought it was sweet that he worried about Marnie.

“We have to stop them!” Hop said. “They’re hurting those Pokemon by forcing them to Dynamax.”

 _“I’ll keep you guys updated on any readings. Gloria, I’ve sent you more GPS coordinates. You should be familiar with those locations anyhow. Good luck!”_ She hung up and Gloria put her phone away.

“Shall we head out?”

-x-

Nessa stood with a hand on her hip in front of the doors leading to the pitch. She jumped when she heard footsteps and turned to see Gloria, Hop and Piers rushing towards her. “Hey, stay back! There’s a Dynamax Pokemon rampaging out there.”

“We know,” Gloria said. “Sonia’s been trying to get a hold of you.”

Nessa’s eyes widened. “Damn! I totally left my phone at home. Oh, she’ll have words for me…” she slumped slightly but shook herself out of it. “We’ve evacuated the staff and spectators. I just need some help calming down this Pokemon.” She paused then smirked as she looked them over. “Y’know, the more I look at you three, the stranger you look as a group.”

“Oh, come off it, Nessa,” Piers grumbled. “Leave us alone.”

She giggled then beckoned them towards the doors. “Let’s take care of this, yea?”

They made short work of the Dynamaxed Gyarados, again without Dynamaxing any of their Pokemon. Hop wondered why Gloria was so adamant they did this, then he noticed she wasn’t wearing her Dynamax Band. _Maybe the whole thing with Eternatus turned her off from Dynamaxing? Huh…_

Nessa thanked them gratefully and took up Gloria’s offer to call Sonia through her Rotom phone.

_“I was so worried about you! I’m glad you’re okay, sweetheart.”_

“You shouldn’t worry so much, babe. It’s bad for your skin,” Nessa admonished.

_“When I see you we’re definitely going to have a long chat about your priorities. Thanks, Gloria. You should head to Motostoke soon as you can!”_

She hung up and Nessa sighed. “Well, you best be on your way while I check out the stadium. Hope Sonia isn’t too pissed with me… And thanks.”

“Good luck,” Gloria laughed. “And you’re welcome.” She turned to the men and nodded. “Let’s keep it up.”

They took care of Motostoke’s problem quickly, a grateful Kabu thanking them, then Gloria’s phone rang again.

_“Gloria, there’s trouble over in the lab! Those two muppets are here and they’re trying to take the Wishing Stars from me. Please come help!”_

“We have to go help her!” Hop yelled.

“Those damn…” Gloria grumbled as she put her phone away and ran outside. She climbed up Corviknight and the boys followed suit, Piers riding with her and Hop taking his own Corviknight. When they reached the lab, they rushed inside to see Sordward and Shielbert sitting at the table facing Sonia and Magnolia, her assistant nowhere to be found.

“We know the Wishing Stars gathered by former Chairman Rose are here. As royalty, we demand you relinquish them over immediately.”

“We royalty have special insight into such things. We know they are here.”

“Those two things have nothing to do with each other!” Sonia shouted impatiently. “I don’t know how you knew about this, but I’m not giving them up!”

“That’s right!” Professor Magnolia agreed. “You don’t understand the power they hold!”

“Oh, dear, brother, we have run into quite the troublesome situation.”

“It would certainly seem that way, brother.”

“Leave them alone!” Hop yelled, running up to defend Sonia. “Forcing Pokemon to Dynamax against their will? You’ve gone way out of bounds here!”

“Well, well, well,” Shielbert started, crossing his legs. “I had hoped the Champion would come, but I didn’t expect a loser like you to show up in her stead.”

“Must I teach you another lesson, weakling?” Sorward said haughtily, laughing lightly.

Hop flinched and looked down. “Don’t let them get to you, Hop!” Sonia encouraged.

“She’s righ’, tha’ one!” Piers said as he walked in. “Ya lost one battle, but don’ lose tha’ rockin’ spirit!”

“R-right,” Hop stuttered. He looked at Gloria, who smiled brightly at him.

“Steady on, mate.”

He exhaled a shaky breath and nodded. “Okay. Thank you, Gloria.” He turned to the two brothers and frowned. “First thing’s first: let’s get rid of these two muppets!”

Both brothers delivered a collective, choked gasp. “M-m-m-m…. MUPPETS? B-brother, how they wound me so!”

 _Did that seriously offend them more than Piers’ hair comment?_ Gloria thought amusingly.

“Indeed! To address us royals so—it is unspeakable! Unforgivable!” They turned to the two and bowed. “We’ve brought stronger Pokemon to thoroughly trounce you with!”

Gloria clutched her pokeball and Hop followed her. “Let’s take ‘em on together, mate!” Gloria said. Hop nodded. “Right on!”

Hop seemed to battle much better with her encouragement and together they took down the brothers. Sordward clicked his tongue and Shielbert turned his nose up.

“We won!” Hop exclaimed, grinning widely.

“We sure did, mate!”

“Oh, don’t go wetting your knickers.” Sordward sneered. “You only won because you teamed up!”

“Oi!” Piers called out. “You two teamed up, too!”

“Give back the rusted sword and stop forcing Pokemon to Dynamax!” Hop demanded.

“Ah… sorry, is this a bad time?” Trisha said calmly. Everyone turned to see her approach the commotion. “I apologize for the intrusion.” She walked up to the royal brothers and smiled. Gloria’s head prickled with an odd feeling.

“Those men are dangerous! Be careful,” Sonia warned.

Sordward let out a giggle. “Well done. Your infiltration was a resounding success, it seems.”

“Have you retrieved the Wishing Stars?” Shielbert asked. Trisha nodded and passed a small pouch containing Sonia’s stash of Wishing Stars. The professor gasped, her expression betraying her hurt.

“All thanks to my Masters…” Trisha mumbled, gazing up at the brothers in awe.

“What! Stop! Give back those Wishing Stars!” Sonia cried out.

Magnolia shook her head. “Oh, dear… it would seem we’ve been completely had.”

The brothers chuckled as they congratulated themselves on their plan. “Our battle was but a ruse to buy our pet some time. Bravo!”

“And with that, farewell!” They dashed out of the lab.

Trisha went to join them. “Stop!” Hop said. Trisha obeyed but kept her back to them. Sonia stepped forward cautiously.

“All this time… was this your plan right from the start?” Sonia asked timidly.

Trisha sighed. “I’m sorry, Professor Sonia, but this is part of the plan.” She turned her head slightly, a cold expression in her eyes. “Our plan to return Galar to its rightful leaders, the royal family.”

She left the lab and Sonia fell to her knees in tears. “I can’t believe I fell for it! I’m so sorry…” Gloria carefully knelt next to her and grabbed her face in her palms. Sonia’s red rimmed eyes were shining when she met her gaze. _I hadn’t noticed how much Sonia’s eyes look like Marnie’s…._ Gloria thought, fighting down a blush. _Focus, Gloria! She needs some cheering up._

“Sonia…” Gloria paused. “I know you’re upset right now, and rightfully so, but we need you to get it together! You’re the only one capable of tracking them down. You’re Galar’s premier Professor! You can take care of a bunch of muppets no problem!”

Behind her, Hop and Magnolia smiled warmly and Piers smirked.

Sonia sniffled then nodded. “You’re right, Gloria!” She stood up and helped Gloria up. “That lot made off like bandits with all the Wishing Stars, but that doesn’t mean it’s over yet! I’ve still got some fight left in me!”

“Heh…” Piers chuckled. “You’ve got some guts, Sonia.”

Hop grinned and put his arms behind his head. “That’s our Professor right there!”

“You’ve grown into such a strong woman,” Magnolia complimented. “I am so proud of you, dearie.”

“Gran…”

Magnolia cleared her throat. “Dynamaxing is a result of a trainer establishing a bond with their Pokemon via the Wishing Stars. My hypothesis is that this group has been foregoing that entirely and using the Galar particles within the Wishing Stars to force Pokemon to Dynamax. Without the essential bond, these Pokemon have no control over their actions and act out in their rage.”

“That’s awful,” Gloria whispered.

“Agreed,” Piers commented. “What an awful thing to do to Pokemon.”

“This could get a lot worse if they are not stopped,” Magnolia continued. “You must put an end to this!”

“But why?” Sonia muttered. “Why could they possibly want to Dynamax Pokemon like this?”

“They said they wanted to reveal the true natures of Zacian and Zamazenta, but I have no idea what that means,” Hop said.

“Hmm… I wonder what Trisha meant when she mentioned giving Galar back to the royals. Did she mean it literally?” Her phone started beeping and Sonia’s eyes widened. “Oh no! There are more spikes coming from the other stadiums. Not Spikemuth, though,” she finished quickly, reassuring Piers, who had paled more than usual. He cleared his throat and averted his eyes, embarrassed at how easily he was to read.

Hop’s eyes widened. “Bede!” He quickly pulled out his phone and dialled his number. “C’mon…”

_“Yes, Hop?”_

“Bede! Is everything okay? We heard there was a Dynamax Pokemon rampaging at the stadium!”

_“Miss Opal and I took care of that already. Quite trivial, really.”_

“Oh, thank Arceus,” Hop breathed. “So, you’re okay?”

_“Yes, do not worry Hop. Do you require my assistance?”_

Hop looked at Gloria and she motioned for the phone and set it to speaker mode.

“Bede, this is Gloria. I’m recommending we split up and take care of the other stadiums separately. Can you and Hop help out Gordie and Melony in Circhester?”

 _“Of course. I will meet him there.”_ He hung up and Gloria returned the phone to Hop.

She turned to the rest of them and straightened her posture. “We’ll split up,” Gloria suggested, her tone all businesslike. “Otherwise we might be too late to stop them all. Piers, sorry, but could you call Marnie and tell her to meet you in Hammerlocke to help Raihan? I know you’ve been wanting to keep her out of it, but she’ll get pretty pissed if she finds out everyone but her helped.”

Piers sighed. “You’re pro’bly right.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “An’ you? Where are ya goin’?”

“I’ll drop you off in Hammerlocke then head to Stow-on-Side to help Allister and Bea. The three of us should be more than enough to take down whatever’s there.”

He chuckled and smirked. “Spoken like a real Champ.”

Gloria fidgeted when everyone looked at her.

“L-let’s get to it!” she stammered.

Hop grinned brightly. “Right on, Champion!”

-x-

Nessa sighed heavily as she leaned back against the door of her flat, shutting it behind her. She was relieved to finally be home – it had taken much longer than anticipated to clean the stadium up and calm the citizens down. She was eternally grateful for the help she received from Piers and the others. She definitely owed them a drink.

The Water expert dropped her keys on the low table of her sunroom and went to her bedroom where she immediately zoned in on her phone sitting innocently on her nightstand.

“There you are,” she breathed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I can’t believe I forgot it…” She picked her phone up and groaned at what she saw.

_25 missed calls_

_60 unread messages_

_10 voicemails_

“Arceus…” she muttered. She decided to go through the messages first.

 _Bae_ 🥰 _: nessa pick up ur phone_

 _Bae_ 🥰 _: nessa_

 _Bae_ 🥰 _: pick_

 _Bae_ 🥰 _: up_

 _Bae_ 🥰 _: ur_

 _Bae_ 🥰 _: PHONE_

 _Bae_ 🥰 _: is2a_

 _Bae_ 🥰 _: NESSA_

The next few messages were similar so she scrolled a little further. Near the middle, Sonia seemed to flip from panicked to furious.

 _Bae_ 🥰 _: cellphones dont lose reception around power spots so i kno ur getting these!!!!!_

 _Bae_ 🥰 _: ANSWER UR PHONE DAMN IT_

The last messages broke her heart, though.

 _Bae_ 🥰 _: im sorry for freaking out im jsut so worried_

 _Bae_ 🥰 _: ily <3_

 _Bae_ 🥰 _: pls be ok…_

“I’m really gonna get it from her later…” she sighed. “I’ll just send her something to let her know I’m okay.”

💖 _Nessa_ 💖 _: Hey hun, just got home. Lmk when ur free_

💖 _Nessa_ 💖 _: ill make it up to u <3_

She saw a few other concerned messages from Piers, Gloria and Hop, likely requested from Sonia. Nessa opened up her voicemail next and moved to the kitchen to put something together to eat. She set the phone on her counter and opened her fridge up. She eyed a container of leftover fish distastefully, not knowing how long it’d been there.

“Guess I gotta put something together…” she muttered, pulling out an assortment of vegetables. She threw her fish out then set a chopping board on the counter. She washed out her vegetables, listening to the first few messages.

_“Hey cutie! Call me back as soon as you can. It’s urgent.”_

_“Hey are you getting my messages? It says they’re delivered but you haven’t read them… everything okay?”_

_“Nessa!! Answer your phone!! I need to talk to you ASAP!”_

_“Please answer for the love of Arceus—damn it, not another fucking voicemail.”_

_“You are in a whole metric shit ton of trouble when I see you. Answer. Your. PHONE!”_

_“NESSA! There are Dynamaxed Pokemon rampaging across Galar right now!! I need to know if you’re safe.”_

_“For fuck’s sake Nessa answer your DAMN phone.”_ Quiet sobbing was heard through the speaker, then muffled as though Sonia had put her hand to her mouth. _“…please.”_

 _“Nessa, please answer your phone,_ please. _I called Gloria to check up on you but I need to hear your voice.”_

_“I love you. Please be safe.”_

Nessa stopped chopping to wipe the tears streaming down her cheeks. She sniffled and bowed her head over the kitchen sink. _Honestly, I deserve whatever trouble I’m in._ She turned the faucet on and washed her face, then paused and shut it off when she heard a quieter but familiar voice.

_“Hey, Nessa, it’s Marnie. Got somethin’ ta ask ya ‘bout, call me when ya can.”_

She raised her eyebrow, curious. _Piers’ sister? Why’s she calling me?_ She finished up her vegetables and dumped them into a salad bowl, mixing them up with a light dressing. When she was settled on her couch with her dinner, she called Marnie back on the number she left her. _Let’s see what she wants…_

Marnie picked up on the third ring. _“Hello?”_

“Hey, it’s Nessa. You called me earlier?”

Nessa heard a sigh. _“Yea, need some advice on somethin’. Ya busy righ’ now?”_

The Gym Leader looked down at her salad, then placed it on the table in front of her. “No, what’s up?”

_“’S’about Gloria. Well, not ‘er specifically, more like the rumours aroun’ her…”_

Nessa leaned back as she recalled the infamous interview from yesterday. “Didn’t you toss that reporter’s microphone in the water?”

A long pause, then, _“Yes.”_

Nessa bit her lip to hold back her laughter when Marnie refused to say anything else. _Literally mini-Piers._ “Okay, what’s the issue then?” She tucked the phone between her shoulder and ear then leaned forward to grab a bite.

 _“People are comin’ up to us an’ tellin’ ‘er dumb shit, like who they want ‘er ta date. I saw some articles where they micro-analyzed all of ‘er frien’ships, tryna piece somethin' together. They don’ even talk ‘bout me at all. An’ it’s not jus’ me, but Hop an’ Bede, too. Bede’s not tha’ bothered by it, though, not like I am.”_ A sigh. _“Did ya ever hafta deal with stuff like this when you an’ Sonia started goin’ out?”_

The older woman frowned and swallowed, straightening. “Definitely. They never left us alone, especially when they found out that… well, that Leon had a thing for her.” She tapped her chin. "They're probably ignoring you because they're trying to justify Hop and Gloria being a more prominent couple." She blinked when a thought came to her. “You’re not thinking of… breaking up with her, are you?”

 _“No! Not at all. I jus’ wanted ta know how ya dealt with it all, the rumours.”_ Another pause. _“How ya made ‘em go away.”_

Nessa couldn’t hold her laughter back this time. “Oh, babe, they never go away. But you can change what they say, instead.”

_“…what do ya mean?”_

The Water expert smirked, knowing she had her full attention. “Marnie, dear, allow me to teach you the ways of celebrity gossip.”


	36. The Heroes of Many Battles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it!! The final chapter!!!
> 
> Enjoy!! :))))))))

Gloria landed in Hammerlocke with Piers and leapt off Corviknight. Piers slid off ungracefully and she giggled. “Still not used to flying on my bird?”

“Shut it,” Piers grumbled. He perked up slightly when he noticed Marnie walking towards them briskly. He lifted his hand up to greet her, but she brushed right past him and embraced Gloria passionately. “Oh, righ’, jus’ ignore your big bro like he ain’t even there.”

She pulled back from Gloria, who looked dazed as she smiled dreamily. “Come off it, Piers. You’re th’ one tha’ called me.” She turned to Gloria and held her jaw carefully, running her thumb over the old scar on her chin. “’m happy to see ya.”

Gloria blinked back to reality and grinned. “Me too! Thanks for coming, we need your help if my guess is right. Dynamaxed Dragons are a bitch to fight.”

“Oi! Did someone say dragons?” The trio looked to see Raihan running towards them. “Hey! I got a call from Sonia. Thanks for coming by. I took care of the smaller ones but this last one is too much to take on my own.”

“The cavalry is here,” Gloria joked, earning a light pinch from Marnie. Her expression shifted to something more serious. “Let’s not waste any more time. I’ll head to Stow-on-Side while you two help Raihan.”

She climbed atop Corviknight and was ready to take off when she felt a hand tighten around her wrist. She looked down and blinked at the intense look in Marnie’s eyes. “Um—”

“I’m comin’ with ya,” she said firmly, leaving no room for arguments. Gloria could do nothing but watch as Marnie tapped Corviknight’s side and her Pokemon lowered herself obediently. Piers and Raihan grinned at Gloria’s open mouth. She cleared her throat and tried to look authoritative.

“Will you two be alright?”

Piers glanced over at Raihan quickly and smirked. “Don’ worry ‘bout us.”

Raihan put his arm around Piers and tugged him close. “We’re the strongest two Gym Leaders—well one Gym Leader and one ex-Gym Leader—in the region!” Piers seemed strangely comfortable in the Dragon expert’s arms.

Gloria gave them a thumbs up and a grin, but Marnie narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her brother. Piers avoided her gaze and cursed Raihan in his head. There was definitely a talk that was coming between the siblings when this was all over. The couple took off toward Stow-on-Side, trusting in the other two trainers’ abilities.

On the ride to city, Marnie remained quiet, which normally was characteristic of her, but it worried Gloria slightly. _She looked kinda pissed when she said she wanted to come with me… wonder if—_ She felt Marnie sidle closer to her back, breasts pressed against her, and exhaled shakily. _Okay, something is definitely on her mind._

Before she could voice her thoughts, the Stow-on-Side stadium came in to view, so she angled Corviknight to land near it. She could see there were two Dynamaxed Pokemon, which worried her slightly. _Damn! Good thing Marnie came with me. Raihan said there was only one in Hammerlocke, so they should be okay there. The others should be okay in Circhester too…_

When they finally touched ground, Gloria and Marnie hopped off and stumbled slightly as the earth shook. They quickly ran inside the stadium lobby, and seeing no one, ran onto the pitch. Allister and Bea were fighting side-by-side with their Gigantamaxed Machamp and Gengar, but it looked to be a fruitless endeavour as the rampaging Conkeldurr and Dusknoir seemed equally matched.

“Corviknight, Brave Bird!”

“Liepard, Fake Out!”

Bea and Allister turned to see the two Pokemon swoop in and deliver their respective moves, causing the giants to stumble back. Gloria rushed to Bea’s side and grinned at her, causing the Fighting expert to blush slightly and smile back tentatively. On the opposite side, Marnie patted Allister’s shoulder and pointed up as Liepard scaled Gengar’s body to get a better angle. He nodded and unleashed his next move.

Marnie looked back to see Bea grab Gloria’s hand and tug her away from an attack, though the champion could have easily evaded it on her own. She huffed then turned forward, hoping to finish off the Dusknoir quickly. “Night Slash!”

Finally, she heard explosions, signalling the defeat of a Dynamaxed Pokemon, but it turned out to be Allister’s Gengar as it was overpowered with a devastating Phantom Force. She exhaled slowly and tried to think up a strategy when she noticed the Dusknoir’s hand rapidly approaching her and Allister’s form. Her eyes widened and she hastily grabbed him, cradling him in her arms as she leapt away from the blow.

Gloria turned her head at the noise and she gasped. “Marnie! Allister!” She clenched her jaw and turned to face the Conkeldurr. “No more messing around! Corviknight, end this with one more Brave Bird!” Bea watched in awe as Corviknight’s entire form seemed to glow and it tore straight through the Conkeldurr, destroying its giant form. The massive Pokemon collapsed to the ground then shrunk in size, unconscious.

Gloria didn’t even wait for it to fall down before she was running over to Marnie and ordering an Iron Head attack. She knelt by her girlfriend and was relieved to her, as well as Allister, unharmed. Bea turned Machamp’s attention back to the Dusknoir and had him use a Gigantamax-boosted Thunder Punch attack. That, combined with the previous assault, was enough to take the giant down.

Bea ran over to Allister as he sat up and moved a bit to get some breathing room. She checked him over and shook her head. “You dummy. You’re lucky you didn’t get hurt!”

“M-Marnie saved me…” Allister said quietly. Bea looked over, and sorely wished she hadn’t. Gloria had wrapped Marnie up in a deep kiss, her eyes closed and her hands cradling her lover’s jaw. Marnie’s hands clutched the front of her sweater, pulling her closer. The silver-haired woman turned her head to look away but didn’t miss the hint of green that peeked between Marnie’s eyelids as though she were confirming the kiss had been witnessed.

When the champion finally pulled away, she smiled warmly. “Glad you’re okay.”

Marnie squeezed her hand and returned her smile, standing up. “Let’s get to Hammerlocke. ‘M worried ‘bout Piers.” She turned and nodded at the Stow-on-Side siblings. “Hope everythin’ will be good from here.”

“We’ll be fine,” Bea muttered. “Thank you, Champion.”

Gloria blinked at her cold tone and tilted her head. Before she could question her friend’s odd behaviour, Allister hugged her round the waist. “T-thank you.”

“No problem, bud!” she giggled then stepped away. “Take care, you two!” She tugged Marnie along and they mounted Corviknight, heading back to Hammerlocke. Gloria wondered at Bea’s sudden change in demeanour, but quickly forgot about it once she felt lips on her neck.

“Thanks for savin’ me back there,” Marnie mumbled, tightening her arms around Gloria’s waist. The brunette interlaced one of her hands with her girlfriend’s and smiled.

“Anytime.”

When they returned to Hammerlocke, they saw that there was still a furious Dynamaxed Haxorus in the stadium, and Gloria feared the worst. She had Corviknight fly dangerously close to the stadium and sighed in relief when she saw Raihan and Piers still fighting. She swooped down and summoned her Lucario to join Piers’ Obstagoon and Raihan’s Duraludon. Marnie joined them with her Grimmsnarl, going straight to her brother and squeezing his shoulder in greeting.

“’Bout time you ladies showed up!” Piers yelled. “Always so fashionably late.”

“I thought you said you’d be able to take this guy!” Gloria countered, a teasing lilt in her voice.

“Piers won’t let me Dynamax!” Raihan complained. “Otherwise, we’d have been finished by now.”

“We don’t need to Dynamax to win, you know that. Do you not trust your own partners’ strengths?” Gloria retorted.

Raihan grit his teeth then sighed, conceding. “Whatever you say, Champ.”

Gloria felt eyes on her back and turned slightly to see Piers look at her with unmistakeable pride. She turned back to the beast. “Lucario, Aura Sphere!”

The group took down the Haxorus after a hardy battle. Raihan grumbled about it finishing sooner had Piers let him Dynamax, but otherwise seemed pleased that they managed to control the situation. When they met up outside, he snapped a candid shot of Marnie, Piers and Gloria, then turned around to make it a selfie, this time telling them to pose. He sent both photos to Gloria, who smiled upon seeing them. “Thanks, Raihan.”

“Anytime, Champ! Thank you for your help! Give me a ring should things go to pot, yea?” He turned to Piers and winked. “Oi, we gotta battle again sometime!”

Piers shrugged and smirked. “Only if ya don’ Dynamax.” He felt Marnie’s eyes on his back and turned around to scowl at her. “What?”

“Hey, you guys! Over here!” Gloria turned to see Sonia and Yamper in front of the Energy Plant lift. She waved them over and they approached her. “Hop’s on his way with Bede. I think I managed to track down where those two muppets went. They’re up in the Energy Plant but they’ve locked the lift from the inside. I think I can unlock it, just give me a second…”

“Uh, Sonia?”

The Yamper at her feet barked and let loose a Thundershock that bypassed the lock mechanism. “Oh!” Sonia said, “it… it opened?”

“I can’t believe Rose didn’t upgrade his security after Motostoke,” Gloria mumbled. “Guess it worked out for us in the end!”

“Hey you lot! Don’t leave without me!” Hop panted as he joined them. Bede came up behind him slowly and crossed his arms.

“Just in time, mate,” Gloria welcomed. “We’re ready to give those two a proper thrashing, yea?”

-x-

They exited the lift onto floor B2 and Gloria shuddered as memories came flooding back to her. Her knee’s ache pulsated weakly as though reminding her that she had been injured here. As though Marnie could sense her thoughts, she grabbed onto the brunette’s hand and interlaced their fingers, giving a short squeeze. Gloria smiled at her gratefully and they trudged forward, the others behind her. Up ahead, Shielbert stood surrounded by what looked to be his groupies.

“Well, well, well?” He smirked. “It appears as though you’ve surmounted all the obstacles we’ve thrown at you. As expected of the Champion. Followers—give them your praise.”

The people behind Shielbert started clapping and congratulating them. Piers shuddered and closed his eyes. Marnie looked at him curiously.

“You okay big bro?”

“They jus’ really creep me out.”

Hop stepped forward threateningly. “Why are you forcing Pokemon to Dynamax?”

“We did it to expose the true nature of Zacian and Zamazenta!”

“What does that even mean?” Gloria asked. “Zacian and Zamazenta _saved_ Galar!”

“Bah! We have always been revered as the heroes of Galar until you ruffians saved Galar from Eternatus.” He pointed at Sonia and narrowed his eyes. “And then this tart had to go and write a book about it, spreading these lies!”

Gloria opened her mouth to unleash a major tongue lashing but Hop beat her to it. “Shut your damn mouth! Don’t you dare speak that way to her, or I’ll come over there and rip that stupid hairdo right off your head!”

“Boo!” Shielbert’s groupies swarmed around him, jeering at them.

Sonia remained quiet, her fists clenched tightly.

“Now, now…” Shielbert shook his head, calming his followers down. “You carelessly changed history when you claimed that the real heroes were Pokemon. What does that make us, make our ancestors? Liars and thieves?”

“I do believe you’re descended from the ancient kings of Galar…” Sonia started.

“That’s right!” Shielbert interrupted. “And these falsehoods you wrote are pure rubbish!”

“I wrote the truth!” Sonia yelled. “Zamazenta and Zacian have protected Galar since ancient times!”

“Hm, then if your hypothesis is true, let us test it, shall we? If we bombard the beasts with Galar particles, they should remain calm and stalwart!”

“I get it… those other Pokemon were just experiments,” Piers muttered.

Hop shook his head in disbelief. “You really want to make the two Pokemon that saved us all run amok?!”

“Right now, my elder brother is testing this out upstairs!”

“You won’t get away with this!”

“Oho… you want to take the lift up?” He smirked. “You’ll have to get through us, first.”

Sonia stepped aside as the others stepped forward. Gloria headed straight for Shielbert and Piers, Marnie, Hop and Bede took care of the four followers.

Shielbert put his arms out and his smirk widened. “Oho, you're approaching me? Instead of running away you're coming right to me?”

Gloria’s eyes narrowed as she gripped an ultra ball. “I can't beat the shit outta you without getting closer.”

Though Shielbert had grown stronger since the last time they fought, it wasn’t enough to take her down and she easily finished her battle. When she looked up, the others had finished as well.

“We’ve successfully created an opening,” Bede said. “Let’s get to the roof quickly!”

“Guooooo!” Everyone looked around as the howling shook the building. Hop’s face paled and Gloria cursed under her breath. Shielbert simply laughed.

“What was that?” Sonia asked worriedly.

“It looks like my brother has been successful,” Shielbert cackled.

“Let’s head up to the roof!”

They all packed into the lift and anxiously waited to go up. Hop breathed out shakily and squeezed his eyes shut. Gloria put a hand on his shoulder. “Zacian’s gonna be okay.”

He shook his head. “You don’t know that! This is all my fault…”

“We’ll fix this. Don’t lose hope now.”

Bede wrapped an arm around Hop and he shuddered. “Alright.” The lift opened and they rushed to the top. Within a few seconds Shielbert had also joined them. Up on the platform, Sordward stood in front of Zacian, who looked to be in agony. She was surrounded by a purple aura that crawled around her body. Hop stumbled a bit once they reached the top.

“It’s like I can feel it… I can feel her pain,” he whimpered. Zacian howled and he fell to his knees and gripped his head. “Is this what it feels like to be bombarded by Galar particles?!”

Bede knelt beside him and held him as he glared at Sordward. “You there, pompous ass! Fix this at once!”

“And ruin our chance at glory? I think not. We will expose these beasts for the frauds they are!”

“Stop it! Can’t you see Zacian is in pain?!” Sonia shouted.

Sordward laughed and approached Zacian’s trembling form. “Yes, yes! Expose your true barbaric, brutish nature!” Zacian snapped her jaw at him menacingly and he stumbled back, landing on his butt.

“B-brother!” Shielbert cried out but made no move to help him.

“Don’t attack me!” Sordward screamed, shivering from fear. “Go into town and sow destruction and chaos!”

Zacian howled again and lowered her head as she growled. Sonia shook her head worriedly. “She’s trying to suppress and calm herself, but she can’t control all that power!”

“Zacian…” Hop murmured, wincing in pain.

“I was hopin’ we could just calm it like we did the others,” Piers sighed. “But our opponent is a Legendary Pokemon gone berserk!”

“We won’t be able to catch it,” Gloria said, stepping forward, “but I can take her on.” Marnie let go of her hand and stood next to her brother as Gloria bravely marched towards the beast, sending out her Inteleon. She looked over her shoulder at Marnie and the others, her eyes fierce. “Get somewhere safe! I don’t know how bad this battle’s gonna be!” She grabbed Sordward and roughly forced him to stand, pushing him out of the way. His brother caught him and they backed up to give her space.

She met Zacian’s eyes sadly. “I’m sorry, but we’ll have to battle. Just know that this is the last thing I wanted to do! Inteleon, Snipe Shot!” Inteleon got into action and launched a Snipe Shot at Zacian. She leapt into the air gracefully, dodging the attack, then unleashed a devastating Sacred Sword that slammed Inteleon into the floor, knocking him out. Gloria swallowed nervously and sent out Ninetails. She had to play the long game on this one.

“Will-O-Wisp!” Thankfully, the attack landed and Zacian flinched as the burn weakened her attack and stamina. Ninetails was quickly wiped out with another Sacred Sword as her defenses were not high to begin with. “Corviknight, you’re up! Brave Bird!” Zacian was unable to dodge this attack and took a direct hit, tumbling backward until she righted herself on her paws and lowered her stance. Corviknight flapped her wings as she hovered in the air and crowed.

“Way to go! Keep it up with an Air Slash!” Zacian rushed forward, narrowly dodging the attack then delivered a Crunch on Corviknight’s talons and slammed her down into the ground, knocking her out. Gloria released a shaky breath as Zacian looked right at her. “We’re not done yet! Roserade, Leaf Storm!”

Zacian took the hit and whimpered as the leaves cut up her body. She flinched from her burn and panted heavily. _Just a little more…_ “Roserade, keep it up! Leaf Storm!” Zacian used Howl, raising her attack, then leapt over the Leaf Storm and delivered another knock out Crunch. _She’s way too strong!_ “Lucario, I’m counting on you!”

Lucario summoned a Bone Rush and met Zacian head on, both growling at each other. Lucario leapt back and launched an Aura Sphere, hitting Zacian and sending her back slightly. She stumbled forward a bit but recovered then hit Lucario with a Sacred Sword, taking him out.

 _Shit! Shit, shit, shit!_ Gloria thought worriedly. She clenched the ultra ball in her hand and sent out Hydreigon, who roared viciously. Zacian lowered her head and calmly approached them. Gloria held her breath and waited. “Hydreigon, do it!”

Zacian jumped up to avoid the Hyper Beam, but her eyes widened when one of the other mouths aimed straight up at her. She howled in pain when she took the hit and fell back to the ground, finally defeated. Gloria sighed in relief and praised Hydreigon, giving them a treat. “That was too bloody close!”

Zacian shakily went up on all fours and Gloria tensed, then relaxed when she saw that the purple aura had gone. Hop ran past her to kneel beside Zacian. “Zacian, are you okay?”

She howled weakly and touched her nose to Hop’s chest. He clutched it and smiled. “I’m happy to see you, too. I’m sorry this happened… it’s all my fault!” She whimpered and he brushed the fur on her head back. He stood up and backed away when she started growling. “What’s happening, Zacian?”

Sonia gasped. “Hop, look out!”

Hop put his hands out and closed his eyes, then opened them when nothing happened. In front of him, Zamazenta stood, blocking Zacian. Zamazenta growled and barked at her. She barked back at him, then turned around and leapt away.

“Zamazenta…” Hop mumbled. “Thank you for saving me.” Zamazenta huffed. “Gloria, I don’t like this one bit! Zacian’s still hurt, I’m going to go after her!” He swiveled and marched up to Sordward and snatched the rusted sword from his grip. “And this belongs to Zacian—not you!”

“Hop, are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Gloria, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” When Gloria looked in his eyes she understood and nodded. He summoned Corviknight and took off in the direction of the Slumbering Weald.

Bede sighed. “I will return to Ballonlea and see if the people are in need of assistance.” He shared a look with Marnie then left as well.

Gloria turned when Zamazenta howled and growled at Sordward. Shielbert finally showed some backbone and stood in front of the beast. “W-wait! Please, don’t hurt him!”

Gloria went up to the wolf and put her hand on his nose. “Zamazenta, please stop.” He huffed and bumped his nose against her hand. She giggled and dug her fingers into his fur. She looked the Pokemon in his eyes for a long time, then nodded, smiling. She took a pokeball out then pressed it to his forehead. He went in willingly and the ball shook three times before it settled.

“As expected of the Champion…” Piers mumbled. Marnie’s eyes glowed with pride and Sonia smiled brightly. Sordward shared a glance with his brother and approached the brunette apprehensively.

“Thank you… for saving my life,” he said, lacking all the pompousness from before. He turned to Piers. “Hey, you! Spiky Head! My brother and I would like to atone for the crimes we’ve committed. Bring us to the nearest appropriate facility.”

“Even in defeat they’re a bunch o’ posh pricks,” Piers sighed. “Come along now…” He escorted the brothers down the lift, leaving Sonia, Gloria and Marnie on the summit. Marnie shook her head and kissed Gloria chastely before pulling away.

“I’m gonna make sure they don’ get the jump on big bro. I’ll talk to ya in a bit, alrigh’?”

Gloria nodded and smiled. “See you soon.”

Marnie waved then rushed quickly to the lift to follow her brother.

“Righto!” Sonia exclaimed. “We’ve stopped a major crisis from happening! Still, I hope Zacian is ok…” Just then, Gloria’s phone rang and she answered.

 _“Hey Gloria!”_ Howls came through the speaker then. _“Heh, guess ya heard that, huh?”_

“Hop are you okay?!” Gloria asked worriedly.

 _“Eh, could be better. Zacian’s a little hectic right now. Could use your help! I’m in the heart of the Slumbering Weald!”_ He hung up and Gloria put her phone away. Even in his pokeball Zamazenta’s worried howls were loud and clear.

“Seems like Zamazenta’s worried about his partner,” Sonia noted. “We should go and make sure everything’s alright.”

“Let’s go!” Gloria said, hopping onto Corviknight after she’d healed her team. She took off to Hop’s location once Sonia joined her.

-x-

Hop stood in front of Zacian and patted her fur as she whimpered and trembled. Cinderace and Corviknight stood behind him, watching on worriedly. Zacian growled and shook her head.

“There, there… it’s alright now!” Hop reassured. “We took care of those two. They won’t bother you anymore.” She howled weakly. “You don’t have to lose control, Zacian! You can do this! You are the true hero of Galar, after all!”

Zacian huffed and whimpered, then let her head back to howl into the night. When she brought her head back down, the look in her eye had changed and the buzzing in his head faded away. “All better now? I knew you could do it!” He laughed when she licked his cheek. “Hey! Cut it out.”

“Hop!” Gloria yelled when Corviknight landed. “You okay?!”

Hop looked up and smiled when Sonia and Gloria rushed to join him. “Hey, you two made it! And yea, more than okay! And Zacian’s all good, too.” Zacian barked and tugged at his collar playfully with her teeth.

“She’s a lot more playful than Zamazenta!” Sonia pointed out.

Gloria laughed. “Yea, Zamazenta is the broody elder brother and Zacian is the hyper little sister.”

“Makes sense to me,” Hop said, grinning.

Sonia sighed and shook her head. “It was awfully reckless of you to rush in and try and calm a Legendary Pokemon, Hop, but you did good. I’m proud of you.” Hop beamed at her.

“Hop, you’re amazing,” Gloria said.

Hop blushed and rubbed the back of his head nervously. “Aw, thanks…” Beside him, Zacian barked and howled. He turned to her incredulously. “Wait, really?!”

Gloria smiled and Sonia looked between them and pouted. “What?! What did she say?”

“That she thinks I’m worthy…” Hop translated, digging his hand in Zacian’s mane. “That she’ll become my Pokemon.” He looked up at her. “Is… is it really ok?” Zacian lowered her head and closed her eyes. He exhaled shakily and took three steps back, pokeball in hand, then launched it. The ball settled after three shakes and he picked it up reverently.

“Wow,” Sonia breathed. “You two are amazing!”

Hop grinned wryly. “You know, I didn’t see much in myself when this whole crazy thing started, but I’m starting to! If a Pokemon like Zacian thinks I’m worthy, then there has to be something special about me, right?”

“Hop, you don’t need a Legendary Pokemon to be special,” Gloria said, shaking her head. She smiled at him. “You’re special because you’re Hop.”

His grin faded to a warm smile. “Thanks, mate.” His eyes grew fierce. “Gloria! Let’s battle again, right here, where it all started—in the Slumbering Weald!”

She grinned in response and tossed her first Pokemon, Corviknight crowing in the night air. He followed suit and tossed her brother, who met her with equal enthusiasm. “He wants a rematch after getting embarrassed in the semis!” Hop explained.

“We beat him before, we’ll beat him again!” Gloria countered. “Taunt!”

“Payback!” Gloria winced as the move’s attack doubled since Hop let her go first. Her Corviknight stayed up but complained to her brother.

“Good one, mate! Okay, let’s follow up with our own little trick: Assurance!”

“Shit!”

His Corviknight took more damage than he delivered, but he, too, noisily stayed up. Hop and Gloria grinned then called out one last attack: “Brave Bird!” Both Pokemon collided and knocked each other out. Gloria’s grin stayed on her face as she sent out Ninetails, Hop following with Boltund. The two Pokemon circle each other, growling lowly, when Boltund rushed forward with Wild Charge. Ninetails leapt over him and launched an Inferno that burned him. Boltund whimpered as he staggered then fell, Ninetails raising her head proudly.

“That Ninetails of yours is really somethin’!” Hop complimented. “Still, we’re not done jus’ yet!”

Dubwool came out and bleated loudly. “Double Edge!” Ninetails tried to dodge but was only able to move half her body, taking serious damage. Dubwool flinched as he ran past Ninetails then turned around to deliver another powerful attack.

“Inferno!” Gloria called out desperately. Dubwool kept running, though, braving through the fire to deliver the final blow. Ninetails fell as Dubwool bleated victoriously. Hop cheered for his oldest Pokemon.

“Alright!”

“Don’t start celebrating yet! Lucario!”

Dubwool glared at Lucario and watched him silently. Lucario grunted then ran forward, leaping into the night air. Dubwool jumped then looked around in confusion.

“Don’t get lost, Dubwool! He’s right behind ya! Cotton Guard!”

Dubwool braced himself as Lucario slammed his paw forward with a Force Palm.

“Okay, now Revenge!”

Lucario dodged the attack and slammed his Bone Rush against Dubwool’s face, sending him flying back. The Pokemon was only able to withstand the attack thanks to his increased defenses, but just barely. He panted heavily as Lucario ran towards him again. Dubwool landed the Revenge this time, dealing a blow to Lucario’s vitality, but fell over in defeat. Hop smiled as he recalled him and sent out Cinderace, whose quick Pyro Balls dealt the finishing blows.

Gloria sent out Inteleon, as predicted. Hop grinned. “Okay, Cinderace, let’s show Gloria the new trick you learned—Electro Ball!”

The Champion blinked in surprise when the ball of lightning came hurtling towards Inteleon. Inteleon didn’t have enough time to dodge, instead taking the hit after delivering a Sucker Punch. Since Cinderace was not faster than Inteleon, the attack did not have a lot of punch, but it still hurt the Water-type a fair amount.

“Nice one, Hop! Now it’s our turn—Hydro Cannon!”

Hop blanched. “Hydro _what now_?!”

Cinderace’s eyes widened as the strongest base Water type move (aside from Water Spout) came barrelling towards him and sent him crashing into the forest. Hop called his name out worriedly and Cinderace slowly stumbled back onto the field before crashing down heavily. Hop sighed and recalled him. “Damn, Gloria, where did you learn that?”

“A move tutor in Wyndon. You should check him out—he has a move for Cinderace to learn, too.”

Hop sent out Snorlax and Gloria had to wait for Inteleon to recover. Hop took advantage and had Snorlax use Giga Impact, which knocked Inteleon out right away. Gloria sent out Roserade and the two battled it out fiercely. Roserade’s venomous cuts chipped away at Snorlax, while Hop relied on raw strength to combat Roserade’s speed. Eventually, the two tired each other out and collapsed from exhaustion.

The two rivals shared a look and understanding passed between them. Hop sent out Zacian as Gloria sent out Zamazenta, the two dogs present in their normal forms. Zacian yipped upon seeing Zamazenta, who barked and lowered his head.

“Always so serious,” Gloria commented, rolling her eyes. She looked at Hop and smiled. “You ready?”

“Bet!”

They both pulled out their rusted artifacts and allowed their Pokemon to transform. Sonia watched from the pedestal, in awe and recording from her phone. There was complete silence as the beasts completed their shape shifting, settling on their Crowned Formes. They howled loudly into the night then faced each other, ready to spar.

The wind blew through Gloria’s hair as she waited for Hop to make a move. Eventually, his impatience outgrew hers and he called out the first attack. “Zacian! Behemoth Blade!”

“Going for the big one right away, huh? Zamazenta! Behemoth Bash!” The two wolves clashed fiercely in the air, immovable object meeting unstoppable force, until they pushed each other back and landed on the ground, panting. Gloria clenched her fist and grinned.

“Alright, Iron Defense!”

“Swords Dance!”

Both Pokemon boosted their stats and circled each other on the field. At one point, Zamazenta was in front of Hop and Zacian was in front of Gloria, and it struck her that it could have easily been the other way around. Before she could mull over that thought further, Hop ordered his next move.

“Sacred Sword!”

“Metal Burst!”

Zamazenta took the hit from Zacian’s sword in the air but quickly slammed his hardened mane against her, sending her to the ground. He landed heavily and shook his mane as he attempted to work through the pain of the attack. Zacian stood back up shakily and adjusted the sword in her jaw. The next move would decide the match. The two stared each other down, then the two rivals called out their next attack simultaneously.

“Behemoth Bash!”

“Behemoth Blade!”

The two wolves rushed forward and met in the middle again and launched their attacks against each other. Zacian fell over from exhaustion and Zamazenta’s legs shook as he stood over her for several seconds until he followed her to the ground. Gloria and Hop ran to them and made sure they were okay before calling them back to their balls. They stood and Hop put his arms behind his head and laughed.

“That’s our champion for ya,” Hop cheered. He calmed and smiled. “I lost, but it feels different this time. I think I know what my calling is now. I’ve always wanted to help people and Pokemon but I didn’t know how. When you said to not Dynamax my Pokemon, I thought you were crazy, but then I understood what you were trying to say after I felt Zacian’s pain when she was corrupted. It made me think of how reliant we are on Dynamaxing in general, which is terrible, because it comes from another Pokemon’s suffering.” He grinned. “I have a lot of ideas on how to generate clean, renewable energy from my time abroad. Sonia, if you’ll take me, I’d love to learn more from you and develop some of these ideas. I want to be a Pokemon Professor!”

“Hop…” Gloria’s eyes softened. “That’s awesome. I’m so proud and happy for you!”

“Me too!” Sonia said, walking up to them. “In fact, I have an opening for a lab assistant right now!” They shared a laugh then quieted, smiles on their faces.

“You should tell Leon,” Gloria said. “I’m sure he’ll be real proud of you.”

“I definitely will. I feel sorry for him. He’s been stuck in Wyndon in case things got crazy over there, but I’ll give him a call when he’s free.” He checked his phone. “Yikes, have we really been running around for hours? I’m knackered.”

Gloria yawned and stretched. “I could do with a wee bit of sleep meself.”

Sonia laughed. “Look at you two, so young and cute. Well, I’m off. I have a certain someone I need to scold right now.” She turned to her new assistant and put her hands to her hips. “Hop! Meet me in the lab bright and early in the morning, ya hear?”

“Yes ma’am!”

-x-

Nessa yawned and sat up, rubbing her eyes. She sleepily grabbed her phone and looked at the time. _It’s bloody well two in the morning… who the hell is knocking on my door right now?_ She shuffled out of her bed slowly, stretching, and felt irritation build up when the knocks came twice as fast and twice as hard.

When she wrenched the door open, she was ready to unleash the nastiest insult ever heard, but nothing came out as Sonia stepped in and pressed their lips together. She stumbled back in surprise, protest muffled between them, then exhaled through her nose and returned the kiss. She wrapped her arms around her lover’s neck, then whined when the other woman pulled away much too soon.

“That’s because I was worried about you,” the Professor whispered, cupping the Gym Leader’s cheek. Her narrowed green eyes met Nessa’s half-lidded blue, who immediately knew what was going to happen next. She bit her lip when she felt a sharp pinch against her side. “And that’s for worrying me in the first place!”

“I can’t even argue with you about that one, babe,” Nessa sighed, leaning against her shoulder. “I totally deserve it…” She nuzzled in further when Sonia tightened her arms around her frame. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay. I was so close to just going to Hulbury myself but—”

“Sonia,” Nessa interrupted softly, leaning back. “It’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up about it.”

“If anything happened to you—” Sonia’s throat closed up as a sob came up her throat. Nessa wiped her stray tears away and kissed her gently. She gripped her hand and brought her to sit on her couch, then fetched her a glass of water and some tissues. The Professor accepted them gratefully and smiled. “Thank you.”

“So what happened?” the Gym Leader questioned, curious. “Did you stop the people responsible for everything?”

“Yes, they were trying to Dynamax the Legendary beasts, but Gloria and Hop stopped them.” Sonia grinned, then giggled. “Remember when those two first started their gym challenges?”

Nessa joined her laughter. “They were total newbies! Now they’re probably the strongest trainers we have.” Her grin faded to a smile. “We have quite the Champion on our hands.”

“That we do. She’s definitely Champion material. You should have seen her in action.” Sonia scooted closer to her girlfriend and leaned on her shoulder. “Hop’s going to be my assistant, too. Says he wants to be a professor.”

“Wow.” Nessa blinked. “Does Leon know?”

“Not yet.”

“Hop’s definitely lucky to have you as his mentor.” She felt Sonia smile against her neck and tried to keep her grin out of her voice. “I’m jealous that he gets to spend more time with you than me.”

Sonia leaned away in shock, then shook her head fondly. “You’re not funny, you know that, right?”

Nessa stayed quiet, looking into Sonia’s green eyes. The red in her sclera had faded, but her eyes shone with amusement. Sonia always looked beautiful to her, but tonight, she looked especially radiant. Maybe it was the relief they felt at seeing each other after a harrowing experience, or maybe it was Nessa’s lingering sleepiness, but her heart felt full.

She let out a shuddering breath and interlaced her fingers with one of Sonia’s hands. She cupped her cheek with the other one and leaned in slowly, the Professor meeting her halfway. When they pulled back, Sonia had a pretty blush across her cheeks. She opened her eyes to Nessa’s glimmering blue.

“Nessa?”

“Marry me.”

Sonia blinked, surprised. “Say that again?”

“Marry me,” Nessa repeated, firmer this time. She squeezed Sonia’s hand in hers and brushed a lock of red hair behind her ear. “If we’re going to argue like a married couple, we might as well be one.”

Sonia rolled her eyes. “That’s not how it works.”

“Oh, Professor,” Nessa started, putting a hand to her chest and batting her eyelashes. “Please, do tell… how does a proposal work?”

The redhaired woman bit her lip to push her laughter down. “Well, for starters, you need a ring.”

It was Nessa’s turn to roll her eyes. “You seriously think I would propose to the smartest and most gorgeous woman on this fucking planet and not have a ring?”

“I-I wouldn’t call myself the smartest and most gorgeous woman—”

“Sonia,” Nessa interrupted, smiling beautifully. “Just say yes, you hopeless nerd.”

Sonia laughed and pulled her forward for a kiss. “Yes,” she whispered, holding back her tears. She threaded her hands through Nessa’s thick, coloured hair. “I’ll spend eternity with you, if you’ll have me.”

It was almost comical how they looked; Nessa in her Psyduck print pajamas and Sonia in her dusty lab coat, both locked in a passionate embrace and in tears. But neither of them would change a single thing about this moment, locking it in their hearts forever.

-x-

Gloria jiggled her keys into the lock of her flat in Wyndon and sighed when it opened. She stumbled under the arch into the room and shut the door behind her. The moonlight faded as the moon rose higher in the sky. She took her shoes off then blinked when she noticed a familiar pair waiting by the door.

“Hmm, I wonder who that could be.” She smiled and carefully peeked around the door in her bedroom. There, sound asleep, was Marnie on her side of the bed. She snuck quietly into the bathroom and showered. Feeling fresh and clean, she changed into her night clothes then snuggled up behind Marnie, burying her nose in her hair. The woman stirred but Gloria pressed a kiss to the back of her neck.

“Shh… go back to sleep. We’ll talk in the morning,” Gloria whispered. Marnie settled and found sleep again. Gloria followed her shortly, her scent calming her into a deep slumber. Behind her, on her desk, Eternatus’ dusk ball shook once.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in the Energy Plant. She looked around and saw the same glowing orb that had sealed Eternatus for centuries. She swallowed nervously then stepped inside, gazing up at the beast.

“Why am I here?”

_I have been watching you carefully these last few months… judging your actions, listening to your words. Putting visions into your dreams…_

Eternatus’ core glowed as it spoke and its limbs twisted around as though it were restless. Gloria released a shuddering breath and grasped her courage.

“What do you want from me?”

_I believe your intentions to be pure and your heart to be true… I have decided to entrust you with my final wish._

It paused again and Gloria started to get impatient. “Well?”

_I wish for you to end the practice of Dynamaxing in these lands… permanently._

Gloria’s eyes shot open and she sat up quickly, heart hammering in her chest. She breathed out slowly and rubbed her eyes. She sat for a bit, thinking about her dream, then decided to worry about it later. The sunlight splashed across her legs through the blinds and she felt too warm so she pulled off the comforter and stood, stretching. She noted the emptiness in her bed and wondered where Marnie was as the smell of breakfast wafted in her nose.

Gloria washed up in the bathroom before moving to the kitchen where she saw Marnie expertly flip a pancake in midair. She noticed the telly tucked between the cupboards was on the news, the commotion from yesterday being today’s breaking story. She found it odd that the telly was on, since Marnie hated watching anything on it. Gloria shrugged and figured she just wanted to catch up on what she missed. She approached her loudly so as to not startle her and grinned when the woman glanced back and smiled.

“Mornin’,” Marnie greeted, turning back to the pan.

“Good morning!” Gloria returned, twice as enthusiastic. She wrapped her arms around Marnie’s waist and rested her check against the nape of her neck. “What are we having today, chef?”

“Pancakes…” Marnie mumbled. “An’ some berries I picked up on my way back yesterday.”

“Sounds delicious! Thank you.” Gloria pecked her cheek then moved to set up the table. Marnie plated their food then distributed it between them. She went back and poured coffee for herself and tea for Gloria and deposited them on the table. They sat opposite each other, Gloria’s back to the telly. The brunette recounted what had happened yesterday, Marnie providing her usual deadpan commentary, when the champion cleared her throat.

“Sorry if I kept you up late yesterday. Had I known you’d be here, I’d’ve tried to get back sooner.”

“Don’ worry ‘bout it, Gloria. I didn’ ‘xpect ya to be home early, anyway. Nessa, Bede an’ I were busy fixin’ our li’l problem…”

“Oh?” Gloria raised an eyebrow, curious. “And what is this problem you’re referring to?”

Marnie’s eyes shifted to the telly. “Why dontcha take a look for yourself?”

Gloria frowned then twisted in her seat to look behind her. The news was still on and apparently finishing up their coverage of yesterday.

_“…thank you, Stacy, for your coverage on the field. And that concludes our breaking news segment. Tune in at one for an exclusive interview with Hammerlocke Gym Leader Raihan about the repairs underway across the region. Everyone at the news station would like to sincerely thank Champion Gloria and all who helped restore peace to Galar!”_

Gloria smiled. “Aw, that’s so sweet! And here I thought the media was a bunch of soul-sucking parasites.”

“Keep watchin’…”

_“Speaking of Champion Gloria, we now have an update on Galar’s Most Powerful Couple! Anonymous sources have leaked evidence to the press proving the unfortunate break up of Gloria and Hop!”_

Gloria’s face paled and her jaw dropped. “W-what… we were never even together!” She turned to see Marnie calmly sipping her coffee mug. “What is this?”

“Jus’ keep watchin’,” she said, confusing Gloria further as she swiveled back around. Her eyes widened and she sputtered as she saw what appeared to be a terrible candid photo of Bede and Hop kissing under a mushroom in Ballonlea. Bede’s hand was clearly up Hop’s shirt and the other man had his hands on the front of his pants.

_“It appears Challenger Hop, younger brother to the former Champion, has found comfort in the arms of Bede, Gym Leader of Ballonlea! And as for our current dear Champion…”_

Gloria’s eyes were glued to the telly as a video played of Marnie interrupting the interview from in Wyndon, followed by a clip of them fully clothed and snogging on her couch in her flat. Thankfully, the video only showed them kissing and nothing more.

_“…she is allegedly pursuing a serious relationship with Spikemuth Gym Leader, Marnie! We now turn to our ground reporter, Holly, as she recounts what happened in Wyndon earlier this week—”_

Marnie turned the television set off remotely and watched as Gloria’s face reddened at an impressive rate. The Champion’s ears burned when she remembered what happened _after_ the kiss. “H-how…?

“’Peko took tha’ video accident’ly a while back… never ‘ad th’ heart ta delete it.”

The gears in Gloria’s head turned as an idea formed. “Are you saying…” She felt arms wrap around her shoulders from behind, Marnie pressing against her suggestively.

“Tha’ me an’ Bede leaked those? Yea…” She tugged on Gloria’s earlobe with her teeth, her voice lowering seductively. “How ‘bout we re-enact wha’ happened after tha’ video?”

Gloria thought she’d be upset, but strangely felt nothing but excitement. The video of them on the telly stirred something deep in her. _Am I actually turned on by this right now?_ The brunette met Marnie’s calm gaze with one filled with lust.

“Only if I get to wear it this time.”

-x-

Professor Magnolia sipped her tea patiently as she waited for her guest to speak. It’s not every day the Champion pays you a visit with a completed Pokedex. But it looked like there was more on the young woman’s mind as she placed a dusk ball between them.

“Gloria, what’s the matter, dear?” Magnolia tried when it seemed like Gloria did not want to start. “I do appreciate you bringing me back the completed Pokedex, but it seems like there’s something else on your mind. What’s in this ball?”

The brunette sighed. “Professor, do you regret all the work you did on Dynamaxing?”

Magnolia seemed taken aback. She set her teacup down and looked away. “There is a part of me that regrets helping Rose, but the joys of research are not something I am willing to cast in a negative light.”

“Even after learning where Wishing Stars come from?” Gloria pressed urgently. “Even after knowing the true origins of Dynamaxing?”

“I’d always known that Eternatus was responsible for the phenomenon, but I never thought to question the origins of the Wishing Stars. I was only concerned about Rose’s true intentions, which put me out of a job. Still, in light of this information, though I do feel remorseful, I cannot say I regret everything.”

“Then you’re not gonna like what I’m gonna say,” Gloria said standing up. She stepped outside of the professor’s house and approached the battle terrain. Magnolia followed her carefully. Gloria gripped the dusk ball and released the creature inside. Magnolia gasped and shook in fear.

“Gloria! What is the meaning of this?!”

“It won’t hurt you,” Gloria reassured. “And if it tries anything, it’ll take a walloping from me an’ Zamazenta.” She patted Eternatus then swiveled to face Magnolia. “Eternatus spoke with me, in my dreams. It told me that it wanted me to end the practice of Dynamaxing, and truth be told, I’m not entirely against that.”

“Dynamaxing has been part of Galarian culture for centuries,” Magnolia argued. “Eternatus brought about the Power Spots and humans simply found creative ways of using them. It’s no different from plain Pokemon battling.”

“We can’t even Dynamax our own Pokemon without Wishing Stars,” Gloria retorted, “which, again, are pieces of Eternatus. It’s like saying chopping up a Pikachu and using its parts is just fine.” She looked up at the Legendary Pokemon. “If you think about it, all of our problems can be traced back to Dynamaxing! We’d be giving up a lot, I know this, but it’s for the better in the end. Hop’s working on renewable energy solutions with Pokemon and I’m working on revamping our gym battles completely to keep Galarians happy. Knowing what we do now, I think this is a necessary step if we want to remain at peace with our decisions.”

Magnolia sighed deeply. “It’s not my place to tell you what to do… you are part of the new generation that will lead Galar into the future. Just know that you will face great opposition. People have already begun to grow impatient and angry since the Dynamax Energy Plant in Hammerlocke was shut down for repairs. They are scared about what the future holds. Once you take away the gym battles as we know them…”

“I know.” Gloria closed her eyes. “But I’m not alone, and my gut is telling me this is the way forward. I just hope we don’t leave anyone behind.”

-x-

Rose sat with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. His face was unshaven, and his hair had lengthened quite a bit during his time in prison. He had lost a lot of weight and looked to be a shell of his former self. He’d had a lot of time to reflect on his actions and though he wouldn’t have changed a thing, he would have changed his approach. _I was too aggressive, too forceful… I should have tried a different approach._ He sighed deeply. _I wonder if… Oleana…_

His musings were interrupted when he heard a commotion from outside. He stood up and approached the bars, gripping them tightly. He looked at the heavily armored door that kept him from freedom and watched with horror as dents were made in it. The door opened slowly and allowed light to leak into the cell. Rose looked down to see the body of one of the guards fatally injured, blood leaking from underneath him.

When he looked up, there was a man wearing a sharp suit standing next to a Sandslash with red-tipped claws. A shadow obscured the man’s face, but his smirk was clear as day.

“So, you must be _the_ Chairman Rose… it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Sandslash.” The man snapped his fingers and his Pokemon rushed forward. Rose shouted and put his arms up, then relaxed when he heard the bars sliding. The Pokemon had cut straight through them, opening up the cell. He stepped through and looked up, trying to get a better look at the man, but he had turned away from him.

“Who are you?” Rose asked hoarsely.

“Who I am is not important. Who _you_ are, now that, is very important to me.” The man started to walk but stopped when Rose gripped his shoulder. Sandslash moved forward to attack but the man raised his hand to get it to stand down.

“What do you want from me?”

Rose caught a glimpse of the man’s black eyes as he turned and stepped back in shock.

“Everything.”

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who stuck to the very end. I really, truly hope you enjoyed this story. I know the start was slow (which is why I kinda rushed it) so if you made it this far, THANK YOU!!! <3
> 
> Thanks to [Serebii.net](https://serebii.net/) for being my go-to source for all things Pokemon and thanks to [WishingTikal's Pokemon Shield Walkthrough on YouTube.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfk7NjjO1ok&list=PLrXlEm4MgsbOh3Mugg6M_eWaqdwN7S8Wj) It would have taken me forever to get this all written had I played through the game myself again. 
> 
> Finally, thank you to all the amazing commenters for leaving such insightful and sharp reviews. The first draft of this story looked nothing like the one I posted thanks to your suggestions and thoughts! I truly appreciate the level of detail and attention you have paid this little fic of mine. 
> 
> Please let me know what you thought of my take (suggestions/criticisms/feedbacks/etc) and what you would like to see in the future! I have a fic all written for Gloria and Marnie's trip to Alola, which will be posted over the weekend. There is a Sonia/Nessa fic in the works, but if there is anything else you'd like to see, let me know in the comments (I don't really do social media and I don't think there is a PM feature on this platform).
> 
> The sequel will probably take a week or so to finish, if I'm happy with it. Currently going through a phase where I totally hate it and want to rewrite it, so we'll see!
> 
> Anyway, that's enough of my incoherent rambling. Stay safe and take care!!

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel is up!! 
> 
> Check it out here: [ Galar: Uprising](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24565102/chapters/59325190)


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